While the term ‘futures markets’ does sound rather like something you would find stockbrokers chatting about on Wall Street, this is purely a betting term for the purposes of this article!
However, some sites also call Futures Market Betting either Outright Betting, or Outrights. In horse racing, it is also known as ante-post betting.
All these terms refer to the same thing: bets placed well in advance of an event's result. For example, a bet at the start of the football season on which team will win the Premier League the following May.
In this post, we are going to explore how this particular form of betting can be one of the most profitable for you, especially when compared to standard pre-match betting markets that are available in the 24-hours or so before a fixture takes place.
However, to ensure we provide you with a broad, fair and balanced picture of futures market betting, we are also going to point out some of the disadvantages too. This will give you all the information you need to decide whether betting on futures markets is the right option for you.
Of course, bet365 sport is a company that offers plenty of futures market betting across a wide range of sports and you can see details of the company’s great welcome offer for new players below.
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Remember too that futures betting is also very popular in the United States and if you want an overview of what the current sports betting picture is like across the U.S.A and what different offers and bonuses are available, check out the U.S. version of the bet365 Sport site for more details.
So, let’s begin our look at this particular type of betting by first discovering what it is and how it differs from standard sports betting markets.
In its simplest form, betting on a futures market for a sports event is simply backing the outcome of an
event that is not set to take place any time soon (say within the next 24-hours or so).
This is because the result of an event will only be known in the future. As such, the phrases futures betting, outright betting or even Ante-post betting (in horse racing) is used to identify these markets.
The reason bookmakers offer futures market betting is that many of them are extremely popular with punters. Especially those that want to have a long-term bet running throughout the course of a season, or throughout the year.
As such, these markets have grown in popularity over time and the number of futures betting markets available has increased markedly.
So, what are the big advantages of betting on futures markets? Well, the single most important advantage you have is that the odds on your chosen selection can be considerably better in a futures betting market than they are once the event/season or fixture is underway.
A perfect example of this came in the 2015/16 Premier League season. At the start of the season you could have placed a futures market bet on Leicester City to become Premier League Champions at odds with some bookmakers of 5,000/1.
However, by the time we hit March and April and it was clear Leicester were in a two-way race for the title with Tottenham Hotspurs, their odds had been slashed right down.
So if you backed them at this point, much nearer the end of the season, you’d have been lucky to get much better than even money on the Foxes winning the league (which they duly did).
This is an extreme example, but in general, the earlier you place a bet on a selection ahead of the event, the greater the odds on them winning the bet for you tend to be. That is the big appeal of futures betting markets for punters.
Of course, futures betting does come with its own additional risks and these can scupper any bet
before the event even starts.
For example, at the moment, you could place a bet on the 2025 Grand National race with bet365 Sport. However, the number of horses available for you to bet on in the race is far more than the 38 that will start the race in April 2025.
Therefore, there is a risk that a horse you select to win the race may not run in the race for whatever reason (injury, withdrawn by the trainer, conditions not being right for the horse etc).
So, there is that additional risk you have when placing what would be an ante-post bet now on a horse, compared to waiting until the 38 runners are named in the days leading up to the race.
Another issue is that you cannot predict what will happen in the time between making your bet and the bet being concluded at that future date.
For example, if you backed Julian Alvarez, formerly of Manchester City to be the Premier League leading goalscorer ahead of the 2024/25 season your bet will not win. That is because Alvarez has been sold by Manchester City, late on in the summer transfer window, to Atletico Madrid.
So, while Futures betting does offer better odds, there are far more unknown factors you have to try and weigh up when making your bet, all of which can lead to your bet losing. However, it is these unknown factors which also contribute to the better prices available on selections too!
Always remember to gamble responsibly.
Check out bet365’s Safer Gambling page for more details.
The great thing for punters is that sites like bet365 Sport offer futures market betting across many different sports nowadays, not just the most popular ones. You can also place many ante post bets on future horse races too if you so wish.
Horse racing and football betting are the two most popular markets for futures betting, but you can also find great future betting markets across other sports such as Golf, Tennis, NFL, Formula 1, Rugby, Cricket and many more.
Outlined below are some of the most popular future markets bets made by sports bettors over the
course of a year:
If you are a punter that does not mind having to wait a long time to see the results of your bet bear fruit (or not) then futures market betting may be a great choice for you. There is no doubt that having a bet on the outcome of an entire football season for example, does make you more invested in the action that unfolds over the course of the season.
While it is not easy to land future bets on the money every time, wins can happen and can be very satisfying. A punter we know placed a £10 bet on the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl when Tampa Bay signed Tom Brady.
They did indeed go on to win Superbowl LV, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the game.
Of course, the Bucs were short odds to win on the day they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Superbowl. But thanks to his futures betting markets bet, the lucky punter landed the win at odds of 20/1.
Call it luck, call it judgement, but that is proof that if you have a bit of both, futures betting markets can be a great way to get better odds on your bets!
So, is sports futures market betting right for you? If you’re patient, enjoy long-term analysis, and are comfortable with risk, it can be an exciting and potentially lucrative form of sports betting. Futures betting allows you to leverage your knowledge of a sport over an entire season and capitalize on early odds for high potential payouts. However, if you prefer quick results, less risk, and more control over your bets, traditional sports betting might be a better option.
Ultimately, sports futures market betting is ideal for those who enjoy strategic thinking, long-term investments, and the thrill of predicting season-long outcomes. If that sounds like you, futures betting could be a fun and rewarding way to engage with your favorite sports!
Always remember to gamble responsibly.
Check out bet365’s Safer Gambling page for more details.
Updated on 17th September 2024.
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