What is a Live Sports Bet? Live Betting Explained
Live sports betting has grown in popularity over recent years, with more live markets available across various sports and games than ever before.
Live betting is an alternative to pre-game betting, and allows you to anticipate and react to changes in momentum in real-time and place your bets accordingly.
Fanatics Sportsbook offers live betting across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, soccer, and more sports. Join Fanatics Sportsbook and get $350 in bonuses when you bet $20, by clicking 'CLAIM NOW' below.
How Live Betting Works
Live betting works in the same way as pre-game betting. The only difference between the two is that pre-game bets are wagered before the game begins, while live bets are wagered while the game is ongoing.
Live betting allows you to place bets while a game or event is underway, with markets changing in price to react to changes in game-state.
Live betting can provide more value than pre-game betting, and is a fun and popular way to bet on sports across the US.
Why Odds Change in Real Time
During a game or event, odds on team and player markets are constantly changing, depending on game momentum, scorelines, and more. If a team is losing, their moneyline odds will lengthen almost immediately, while the odds for the team that is winning will be shortened.
Changes in game state can affect various markets, including player markets. For example, Giannis Antetokounmpo's pre-game points line is set at 25.5 points. If Antetokounmpo scores just five points in the first quarter, his live points line could drop to 20.5 points. Alternatively, if Antetokounmpo scores 11 points in the first quarter, his live points line could increase to 36.5 points.
There are a range of factors that impact live odds, including scorelines, player performance, substitutions, red cards, and more.
Popular Types of Live Bets
Here are a few examples of popular live betting markets for team and player lines across a range of sports:
Bet Type | Example | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
Live Moneyline | Kansas City Chiefs +120 | Pick the team to win the game |
Live Spread | LA Lakers -4.5 | Bet on a team to cover the live spread |
Live Total | Over 48.5 Total Points | Bet on the combined score |
Live Player Prop | Patrick Mahomes Over 2.5 Touchdowns | Bet on an individual player's performance |
Live Moneyline Bets
Live moneyline bets are a popular method of live betting, that can provide high value. When goals or points are scored, the moneyline market is impacted immediately. For example, if a favorite is losing the game, their moneyline price will get bigger, while if they are winning, their price will shorten even further.
Live moneyline bets can provide value when betting on favorites, particularly if a team has a tendency to go behind early on before coming back to win.
Live Spread Bets
Live spread bets are another popular live betting method, across NBA, NFL, soccer, and more sports. Point spread lines and odds react and change after points are scored in games. If an underdog is +7.5 on the spread pre-game and takes a five point lead early on, their live point spread line could shorten to +1.5 for example.
Live Totals (Over/Under)
Totals lines and markets are available to bet on when live betting, too, and also react to goals, points, and other game events. The points total could be set high pre-game for an NBA game, but after the second quarter, the points tally is well below the expected total. This could see the live game total line decrease.
Live Player Props
Live betting isn't only available on traditional team markets, you can also bet on live player props across a range of sports, including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and soccer. Like the forms of live betting mentioned above, live player props also react to key game events and game-state.
If a soccer team is behind in a game late on, player prop odds for shots and shots on target for their team could shorten, as they chase to get back into the game. Likewise, live foul and card odds for the winning team could shorten, as they look to waste time and disrupt their opponents' rhythm.
Live Betting Examples
Fanatics Sportsbook offers live odds for basketball, football, soccer, hockey, and baseball. Bettors can react to game events and place live bets via the Fanatics Sportsbook app. Here are examples of how live odds can change as key events unfold during games.
NFL Live Betting Example
- The Kansas City Chiefs are 7.5-point favorites pre-game
- Early in the first quarter, they fall behind 10-0 after a slow start
- The live spread adjusts to Chiefs -2.5.
- If you expect the Chiefs offense to respond, you could take the reduced -2.5 spread with a live bet
NBA Live Betting Example
- The Boston Celtics are 5.5-point favorites against the Miami Heat pre-game
- Midway through the second quarter, the Heat lead by 12 points
- The Celtics' live moneyline drifts from -200 pre-game to +150 live
- If you believe the Celtics will mount a comeback, you can bet on them at higher odds with a live bet
MLB Live Betting Example
- The New York Yankees are -180 favorites pre-game
- After three innings, they trail 3-0 despite playing well
- The Yankees' live moneyline odds move to +130
- If you think the Yankees can get back into the game, a live bet on the Yankees could provide strong value
Live Betting Strategies & Advice
There are several keys to being successful when live betting on sports. With odds and lines changing all the time, here are three factors to consider before placing live sports bets.
Watch the Game
Watching the game you are going to place a live bet on is vital to being a successful live bettor. While live stats are available to keep up with without watching the game, seeing a game with your own eyes allows you to spot tactical tweaks, momentum swings, crowd frustrations, and more.
Observing these changes when watching a game can allow you to spot live betting opportunities and value across team and player markets.
Look for Overreactions
Points or goals can have a major impact on live odds, and these odds and lines can sometimes overreact to key events. If a favorite is losing early on, their odds could spike very high and provide value if they are playing well and have a long time to get back into the game.
Spotting market overreactions when live betting takes time and comes with experience and practice.
Understand Game Flow & Momentum
Many sports tend to follow a similar pattern at different points during a game. If a team is losing late on, it's common that they have a late offensive flurry of shots or attempts, as the winning team naturally adopts a defensive approach to protect their advantage.
Recognizing when a team or player is building or losing momentum during a game can help guide your live sports bets. Again, understanding and spotting these momentum shifts comes with experience. The more you watch live sports, the better you get at noticing these patterns.
Live Sports Betting Pros & Cons
Like with any betting method, including pre-game betting and futures betting, live betting has its pros and cons.
Benefits of Live Betting
- React to changes in momentum
- Capitalize on dynamic odds
- Stay engaged during the whole game
Cons of Live Betting
- Temptation to bet on games you're not watching
- Reacting too early to game events
- Chasing early losses
Additional Betting Insight & Explainers
The Fanatics Sportsbook blog offers further insight to sports betting markets, terms, and methods, including:
- What Is a Futures Bet? Futures Betting Explained
- What Is a Middle Bet in Sports Betting
- What Is a Prop Bet? A Beginner's Guide to Sports Prop Betting
- What Is a Point Spread?
- What Is Line Movement in Sports Betting?
Live Betting FAQs
How does live sports betting work?
Live betting works in the same way as pre-game betting, the only difference being that pre-game bets are placed before the game begins, while live bets are placed after the game has started.
Live betting allows you to analyze teams and players in real time before placing your bets, and can provide higher payouts depending on game state across markets including moneyline, totals, spreads, and more.
Can you cash out a live bet?
Yes, live sports bets are eligible for cash out. You can cash out your live sports bet when cash out is available on the Fanatics Sportsbook app, across NFL bets, NBA bets, soccer bets, and more. Cashing out live bets can be a good method of ensuring some profit from your live bets.
Which sports are best for live betting?
The best sports for live betting include football, basketball, soccer, hockey, and baseball. Live betting is all about anticipating and reacting to changes in game momentum, with these sports famous for their constant twists and turns. Live betting is available on team markets and player props on the above sports via the Fanatics Sportsbook app.
Which sportsbooks offer live betting?
Fanatics Sportsbook offers live betting across NFL games, as well as NBA, soccer, MLB, NHL, plus more sports and leagues. Live betting is simple and quick via the Fanatics Sportsbook app, which allows you to track your pre-game and live bets in real time, as changes in game momentum happen.
You can also access profit boosts and odds boosts, as well as reduced juice offers, bet & get promotions, and FanCash offers from Fanatics Sportsbook.
Reviewed by Fanatics