You might think it doesn’t matter where you place your first goalscorer bets but after reading this article you’ll have changed your mind.
The difference between getting 7/1 or 8/1 on your first goalscorer isn’t great. The jump in payout doesn’t warrant moving bookmakers for as you’re probably only talking £10 or £20 extra on your payout.
However, after reading about the betting sites below and one specific promotion that’s running you’ll be jumping ship and cashing in on the offer.
Best Bookmaker For First Goalscorer
Currently, hands down, the best betting site for first goalscorer markets is Betfred because of their Double Delight / Hat-Trick Heaven offer.
It’s a simple promotion but it’s seriously effective.
The promo offers double odds on your first goalscorer bet if your man scores a second goal in the game and treble odds if he nets a third.
Imagine going into a match with a £10 5/1 first goalscorer bet, your player bagging a hat-trick and getting paid out at 15/1 instead… that’s a return of £150 instead of £50 and the bet has cost you exactly the same amount.
Terms and conditions do apply with the most notable being that the game must be shown live on Sky Sports to qualify for the deal. What’s great though is extra winnings are paid out in cash not free bets and are credited within a 24 hour time window.
Top 5 Overall
Obviously other betting sites have good odds and market coverage when it comes to first goalscorer betting so we’ve also included our top five for this market below.
To be honest though, you’d be mad not to go with Betfred, as no other bookmaker can touch them and their specific promotion.
- #1
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Bet £10 get £30 + 60 spins
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- GET BONUS!
- #2
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Bet £5 get £30
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- GET BONUS!
- #3
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Up to £100 in bet credits
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- GET BONUS!
- #4
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Bet £5 get £20
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- GET BONUS!
- #5
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Bet £10 get £30
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- GET BONUS!
How First Goalscorer Betting Works
Probably one of the simplest and – not coincidentally – one of the most popular types of football bet, first goalscorer markets are made available by pretty much every online bookmaker for almost every match.
The bets ask punters to predict the player who will score the very first goal of a given match and their success or failure has nothing to do with the ultimate result of the game. These types of bet, therefore, are particularly useful for close matches featuring prolific goalscorers where the ultimate result is tough to call but the fact that one of those goalscorers will hit the back of the net is hardly in doubt.
Most bookmakers will price up every player in a given match as a potential first goalscorer, and many will also provide an own goal being the first score of a game as an extra alternative to bet on. Exactly what odds are offered for different players, however, will differ from one match to the next and is something which is worth looking at in a little more detail.
What Odds to Expect
No matter where you bet on first goalscorers you’ll find slightly different odds even for the same bets. There are, however, a few general things to expect when it comes to the odds you’re likely to find for this type of bet.
Forwards
A team’s top scorer or main striker, for instance, will generally have the shortest odds when it comes to betting on a first goalscorer.
Defenders
Defenders and defensively minded players, on the other hand, will typically be offered at much longer prices. The one circumstance where this may not be the case, however, is if a defender is particularly potent from set pieces.
Set Piece Takers
Speaking of set pieces, behind a side’s main striker, the player who takes their penalties and direct free kicks will often be the next shortest price as a first goalscorer selection.
What’s worth remembering, however, is that even when we talk about players being the shortest priced first goalscorer option, first goalscorer odds are still generally pretty generous across the board.
First Goalscorer Variations
As is the case with many of the most popular football betting markets, there are a number of different variations of first goalscorer bets. To help you get the most out of your football punting, we’re going to define and explain the main ones below.
Scorecast
A type of market where betting sites combine a first goalscorer bet with a correct score wager, scorecast bets only pay out if your chosen player scores first and your predicted final score proves to be correct at the final whistle. As such, they generally provide far longer odds than either individual correct score or first goalscorer bets because of the accumulator affect.
Wincast
Similar to scorecast bets, wincast wagers require a punter to predict the first goalscorer in a game and then the ultimate result but not the exact score of the game. As such, they are slightly easier to land than scorecast bets but do typically have slightly shorter odds.
Timecast
A slightly less well known variation on first goalscorer bets, timecast wagers typically let a punter bet on which team will score the first goal and during what period of the match. A timecast option, for example, might be to bet on Tottenham to score the first goal up to and including minute 22 of a match.
Last Goalscorer
Exactly the same as first goalscorer wagers except that they pay out on a game’s final rather than its first goal, last goalscorer bets are particularly good for backing a substitute to come off the bench and decide a match.
Anytime Goalscorer
Whereas both first and last goalscorer bets only ever pay out on one player per match, anytime goalscorer bets will pay out on any player who gets on the scoresheet at any time during a game. As such, odds for each given player are generally considerably shorter than for either of the other two aforementioned markets.
