Football Betting Tips, Strategies, and Legalities

September 23, 2024 11:41 am

Football has existed in Malaysia since the early 19th century and has the highest followership compared to other sports. The craze for betting on football mirrors the sport’s popularity among Malaysians.

Football is dissolved in the Malaysian culture, primarily due to the political influence of state governments on Malaysian football clubs.

Malaysia also has a national football team that participates in international football tournaments. However, its global standing is average.

However, due to the intense passion and fan following for the sport, Malaysians could not resist betting on international football tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, La Liga, Serie A, or the English Premier League.

So, Malaysians are always interested in football betting predictions to gain an edge in their betting style and have better chances of winning. Betting is officially banned in Malaysia. Still, many offshore platforms entice Malaysians to bet on domestic and international games with pre-play, football betting in play, or live football betting markets.

The article below covers everything related to betting in Malaysia and football betting tips, giving you an insight into how professional bettors secure a profit.

History and Evolution of Football Betting in Malaysia

Sir Stamford Raffles- the governor of the Dutch East Indies in the early 18th century, was against all forms of gambling. At that time, Chinese Malaysians indulged in gaming, while Malays took interest in Cock Fighting.

This was the primary reason behind the feud between him and William Farquhar- the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore, who believed gambling should be regulated due to the revenue it earns to the government.

Farquhar liberalised gambling in the Straits Settlements, which was later made illegal after a request by the Grand Jury in Penang. This rule lasts until today.

However, gambling at the time was suppressed only for the namesake due to corrupt British officials and a small police force against several Chinese miners who indulged in gambling recklessly.

The early origins of Malaysian football betting can be traced back to the early 20th century when the sport was recognised globally. In the early days, people bet unofficially in local pubs on match days. Over the years, betting in Malaysia has become more structured and organised. In the mid-20th century, local bookmakers emerged, offering match odds and a centralised platform to make football bets.

As years passed and laws evolved, the Malaysian government allowed betting only in avenues that offered it combined with other sources of entertainment. Resorts World Genting Highlands is the only physical location in Malaysia where Malaysians can legally gamble.

With the evolution of technology, the possibility of sports betting football emerged. Several Malaysian gamblers started using international gambling sites to bet on sports and casino games. Betting then became a global phenomenon. This happened in the late 20th century, and the trend travelled to Malaysia in the early 21st century.

Even though the government’s stance remained unchanged except for lottery and horse racing bets, it was nearly impossible to stop Malaysians from gambling on these legit football betting sites. So, the government got busy designing measures to ensure fair play and protect users from the possible harms of gambling.

Understanding the Legal Framework

The Common Gaming Houses Act of 1957 and the Betting Act of 1953 prohibit all forms of gambling in Malaysia, whether offline or online. The laws are enforced under section 263 (2) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The penalties under these laws can go up to 200,000 MYR and up to 5 years in jail. The Common Gaming Houses Act of 1953 was only meant for real-money gaming, not sports betting. The fines under it are 5,000 MYR and up to 6 months in jail.

So, bettors in Malaysia play at international online football betting sites at their own risk. However, the good part is that the government is more inclined to stop illegal betting operators in Malaysia rather than stop local Malaysians who bet on such sites with low stakes. The technical infrastructure limitation is also why such sites are not identified and are completely blocked in Malaysia.

Football online betting Malaysia is also governed by the Muslim Sharia Law that restricts Muslims, who comprise around 60% of the Malay population, from gambling. As per the rules of Islam, all forms of gambling and sports betting activities are considered ‘haram’ or forbidden.

Football Betting Tips and Prediction

Football betting has a lot to it. It is more than just about betting on the final result, as there are plenty of betting markets to stake money. As a beginner and even bettors who have been betting on football for some time, knowing all the intricacies of football betting tips on the back of their hand is difficult.

After all, many variables affect the final result, such as the number of corners, players getting yellow/red cards on the field, matches between underdogs and top-performing teams, or a particular player scoring the first goal.

Below, we have compiled the best football betting tips to simplify your job. It may look like a game of chance, but learning about these can lead to a better betting outcome. Here is how to win football betting and increase your winning potential.

Research and analysis for informed betting: Many top betting platforms offer live scores with detailed match statistics that can help you understand the trends and bet accordingly. You can also check out free football betting tips posted on some online football betting websites by professional tipsters. Research can help in so many ways in different betting markets. For example, you can win with football transfer betting markets when transfer rumors spread for players moving between different football clubs.
Managing bankroll and setting limits: However enticing it is, you should start your football betting romance with a fixed budget. Many players fall prey to addiction without even realising it, so always set aside a fixed amount and do not over-exceed, irrespective of your win outcome. You might consider index betting, where you can auto-adjust your bet amount based on a certain fixed threshold according to your wins and losses while betting.
Understanding pitch record, team form, and player statistics: Knowing about a player’s current form, injuries, performance on particular grounds, and overall team dynamics can significantly help you make football betting predictions and increase the possibility of positive outcomes. You may look for records such as those made by Cristiano Ronaldo for not missing a penalty in five years, which he recently broke against Slovenia in UEFA Euro 2024. Similarly, Belgium catch the eyes of bettors betting on penalty shootouts due to their top four penalty takers- Eden Hazard, Romelo Lukako, Kevin De Bruyne, and Dries Mertens. You may also get AI-powered tips in Euro football betting and other tournaments.
Go for bet builders: Experts compile bet builders on similar sports that can give you the best value for your money. These are made from careful research considering all the variables and possible outcomes. You can research online to find the best ones that fit your preferences. If understanding bet builders and betting on them is not your cup of tea, you may also use a safer strategy of making single bets consistently and expect a profit from them.
Back the home team: Statistics show home advantage is an important parameter that tilts the match results. This is because home players are much more accustomed to home pitches and weather conditions. Moreover, with the local crowd cheering, the adrenaline pump gets to an all-time high. So you should cash in on this fact and squeeze a chance to win your bet.
Review odds between bookmakers: Shortlist your targeted football sports betting markets and research the top bookmakers offering the best odds on them. If you place live bets, ensure the bookmaker you pick updates odds in real-time without lags. Check which markets are most profitable for you while making your decision.

How to Calculate Football Betting Odds?

Understanding how football betting odds work can help you understand the bookmaker’s website and bet diligently. You can also discover the possibility of value bets when you know how do odds work in football betting. The odds directly imply the profit you will make if you win the bet.

But first, you must understand the different formats in which the odds are displayed. However, the end objective of all these is the same: indicating the possible win for the bettor on that market.

But how are football betting odds formulated? Bookmakers add their profit margin when displaying the odds.

If the probability of an event occurring is high, the bookmaker would like to restrict your profit by offering low odds. Also, bookmakers adjust odds based on the volume of bets they receive on a particular betting market.

Here is more insight on how to calculate odds in football betting with different odds formats.

Decimal Odds: These directly indicate the amount you will be paid if you win the bet. Your profit can be calculated after deducting your stake. To know the probability from looking at decimal odds, you must use the formula 1/Decimal odds. For example, if a betting market displays odds of 2.0, the probability (including the bookmaker’s margin) of the event will be ½, i.e. 50% is the probability of winning.
Fractional Odds: If you view the odds in fractional format, you can directly identify the potential profit. For example, with odds of 1/3, the probability of an event will be Denominator/(Denominator+Numerator), i.e. 3/(3+1)= 0.75 or 75%.
Money Line or American Odds: These odds are displayed as positive or negative, but how to read odds in football betting under the American system? Positive odds indicate how much you can win with a $100 bet, while negative odds indicate how much you must bet to win $100. With +300 odds, you will win MYR 300 with a bet of MYR 100. With -300 odds, you must bet MYR 300 to win MYR 100.

The probability of winning with positive odds is 100 / (Money line odds + 100), and with negative odds, it is Money line odds / (Money line odds + 100). With -200 money line odds, the probability of an event will be 200/(200+100)=0.67 or 67%, whereas with +200, the likelihood of the event will be 100/(200+100), i.e. 0.33 or 33%.

You can also compare odds online through football betting software, as performing these arduous calculations in each betting market is practically difficult. When you know what are good odds in football betting, you can spend your money on the specific betting markets and get the best value out of your stakes. However, you should know there is no winning guarantee with computer algorithms.

Effective Football Betting Strategies

The massive fan-following of football worldwide has triggered professional bettors to create different betting strategies to increase the scope of wins. A football betting strategy is based on years of experience of these hardcore gamblers.

They have found ways to squeeze out profit opportunities as they know how bookmakers set their odds and margins in different betting markets. Moreover, since they have been betting for a long time, they have a better idea of which betting markets are hot and the general behaviour of bookies regarding timelines within which they update their odds.

Based on these, let us discuss some popular football betting strategies.

Value Betting: This type of bet is placed when you believe the actual probability of an event happening is more than the odds the football betting agent displays. The formula for knowing when there is a chance to place a value bet is (Actual probability of an event*Bookmaker’s decimal odds)- 1. If the value from this formula is greater than 0, there is a scope of value bet.
Arbitrage: Back and Lay betting, or Inverse football betting, essentially means betting on all possible outcomes of an event with a bookmaker and in a different betting exchange. The event in which you Back (bet on a win) should have higher odds than the event you Lay on (bet on a loss), so you have a scoop. This way, you can minimise the scope of losses from all sides and ensure a win.
Lay the Draw: This strategy is ideal in a match between an underdog team and a high performer. You know the possibility of a draw is minimal, so you will Lay it as soon as you see an early goal coming. However, a major issue with such a strategy is that it is popular among bettors, and you might not find any bettors ready to trade such a position with you.
Pareto: This is probably the best football betting strategy, as you will select only some specific betting markets to bet on despite looking all over the place. Pareto principle states that 80% of the outcomes are derived from 20% of the causes, and the history of football shows that 80% of the trophies are won by 20% of the clubs. Following this principle, you will only pick top football events, such as the Premier League and Leagues 1 and 2 and bet on only a few popular betting markets.
Court Siding: You know there is a slight delay in broadcasts on different TV channels and websites. No technical signals can be faster than a person sitting in the match audience and watching the match. If someone can relay an injury or a yellow card given to a player in real-time, you can quickly adjust your betting strategy before others to tilt wins in your direction. However, this strategy works in matches with lesser audiences, as you are bound to get network issues in a stadium full of people.
Matched betting: Another of the best strategies to win football betting, matched betting essentially encourages you to use the bookie bonuses to your advantage and cover all possible scenarios of a betting market with different bookmakers.

Many bookies offer free bets and deposit bonuses to promote their platforms. This is free money you can use to make various types of bets.

However, you should consider the wagering requirements on these bonuses to understand your actual win potential with football match betting.

Overview of Dafabet’s Platform and App

If you are hunting for the best football betting sites Malaysia, Dafabet is the right choice. The bookmaker offers a range of football betting markets with competitive odds on the UEFA Europa League, England Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A.

Bettors can bet on the sportsbook and the Dafabet betting exchange. Malaysian players can view the odds in Malay format along with US, Indo, and Hong Kong. The welcome bonus and other football betting promotions clearly explain why it is one of the top football betting sites in Malaysia.

Players can also bet via the ready mobile app, which will let you bet seamlessly wherever you are. There is no compromise on the features of the betting website when betting via the online football betting app.

The interface is easy, and the football betting app Malaysia offers payment options, support, and everything else you would expect from a website.

On this platform, you can also find football betting games and virtual football betting when the actual events are not in action.

Major Football Events and Betting Opportunities in 2024

International Events

FIFA World Cup: Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The next FIFA World Cup will take place in 2026. It will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Lionel Messi from Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, and Harry Kane from England rule the charts in Football World Cup betting.

UEFA Euro Championship: It is contested by the football nations in Europe once every four years. The latest Euro concluded in July 2024, the 17th edition of the tournament held in Germany. Spain defeated England in the finals to be crowned the European champions for the fourth time (the most by any nation).

Kevin De Bruyne from Belgium and Robert Lewandowski from Poland are popular sides for betting still remain chokers to win the championship.

Copa América: It is the American equivalent of the Euro Championship. Argentina emerged victorious in the recently concluded Copa América in July 2024, held in the United States. They defeated Colombia in the final to clinch their record-breaking 16th Copa América title. The tournament is held in four years.

Brazil with a great squad are still struggling to win the Copa América title losing to teams like Columbia, and so betting fans are losing trust on them over time.

UEFA Champions League: This league is held by UEFA and consists of the champions and top teams of the club leagues in Europe. The top four finishing teams of the above nations are mostly invited to participate in this league, which is held in the league and knock-out format. The reigning champions are Real Madrid of Spain. This tournament takes place every year, starting on July 9th, 2024, and will continue until May 2025.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester City bring huge revenue in football betting Champions League.

International Club Leagues

Below, we have compiled popular club football leagues where Malaysian bettors bet equally fervently. Most club leagues are year-long tournaments that commence in August every year and continue until July next year.

English Premier League: England’s club football league is the most popular in the world in terms of viewership. Popular participating clubs: Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool. Current champions is Manchester City who have made history winning the title four times in a row. Manchester United have won the title over 19 times.

Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Virgil Van Dijk, and Martin Odegaard, are popular players that attract many bettors around the world.

La Liga: It is Spain’s club football league, and it is slated to start in August 2024. The popular participating clubs are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla. Real Madrid holds the latest title in La Liga.

Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, and Pedro González López or Pedri are popular footballers from the league attracting huge betting funds.

Bundesliga: This is the German football league, and the popular participating clubs are Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund. Bayer Leverkusen became the current champions of 2023-24 Season, stopping Bayern Munich’s historic run of winning the title 11 times in a row.

Joshua Kimmich and Manuel Neuer attract bettors to Bundesliga.

Ligue 1: This football league is held in France. The popular participating clubs are Paris Saint Germain, Olympique de Marseille, Lyon, Monaco, Lille, and Nice. Paris Saint Germain is the current champion.

Kylian Mbappé Lottin is the popular league from this league.

Serie A: It is the Italian football league. The popular participating clubs are Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Roma. Inter Milan is the current champion.

Theo Hernandez and Victor Osimhen are popular Serie A players that draw bettors’ interest.

Malaysian Football Events

Malaysian National Team

ASEAN Championship: The ASEAN Championship, formerly the AFF Suzuki Cup, is the premier football tournament for Southeast Asian national teams. Organised by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), it’s a biennial competition that determines the best footballing nation in the region. Malaysia has ASEAN Championship group stage matches against Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore in December 2024.

Merdeka Tournament: It is an international-friendly football tournament held in Malaysia to commemorate Independence Day. Malaysia’s semi-final match is against the Philippines in September 2024.

Malaysian Club Football

Malaysian Super League: is the top-tier professional club football division in Malaysia. Most popular teams are Johor Darul Ta’zim, Selangor FC, Perak FC, Kedah Darul Aman FC. Current champions Johor Darul Ta’zim. The league has already started on May 10, 2024.

To bet on these events, we recommend checking out statistics and forecasts and using expert football betting tips. Luqman Hakim, Safawi Rasid, and Mohamadou Sumareh are top Malaysian footballers attracting bettors.

Please duly consider the risks associated with betting and gamble within your means to prevent unnecessary havoc.

FAQ

What is the best platform for football betting in Malaysia?

You can choose Dafabet to bet on football, as it hosts some top football events and offers a variety of betting markets. You can also use the Dafabet mobile app to have the ultimate experience of betting on the go.

Is football betting legal in Malaysia?

No form of betting is legal football betting Malaysia per the Betting Act 1953. However, the government does not have a strict stance on foreign bookmakers operating in the country, so many Malaysians register with them to bet on domestic and international football leagues.

How can I bet responsibly and avoid gambling problems?

You can use strategies like Index betting to better plan your bankroll depending on your betting outcomes. If you feel you are betting out of impulse or borrowing to gamble, you should understand red flags and seek help from problem gambling agencies.

What types of bets can I place on football matches?

Bettors have the option to bet on different betting markets, such as win/loss, draw, over/under goals, football betting handicap markets, top goal scorer, Double time, Full time, half time, teams getting penalty corners, and so on. Players can make single bets on these markets, combine them in a parlay, or make system or chain bets to boost their winning chances.