Live betting is a game changer for sports betting. Or, to be more precise, it’s the kind of betting that changes with the game itself. Whether you call it “live,” “in play” or “in game” betting, this lets you bet on sports in the middle of the action. The odds change alongside that action, which means you can:

• Bet on all kinds of different lines and prop bets within a game.
• Complement pregame bets that look like obvious winners.
• Make up for pregame bets that look like mistakes once the game is underway.

Virginia online sportsbooks use real-time data to adjust live betting markets on the fly. This makes in play betting perfectly suited for your smartphone as you can browse through the markets quickly and get bets down instantly.

Live betting takes the sports-watching experience to the next interactive level, and you can now do it right here in Virginia. Read on to find out exactly how live betting works and what kind of live betting markets are available. See below for a live odds feed for all sports straight from VA online sportsbooks. Click on any odds to get right in the game!

Best in-game betting apps in Virginia

Many of the best sports betting apps in the country will launch in Virginia in early 2021. They’re sure to include a variety of live betting options. The top sports betting apps with live betting coming to Virginia include:

• DraftKings Sportsbook: DraftKings offers among the most comprehensive live betting experiences in US sports betting today with its Flash Bet feature.
• FanDuel Sportsbook: FanDuel is flexible and focused on what its customers want, which includes high-volume live betting on its sports betting app.
• BetMGM Sportsbook: There’s no bigger name in gaming than MGM, and its BetMGM Sportsbook product has a robust live betting experience.
• BetRivers Sportsbook: BetRivers and its live betting experience are expanding every day and should be headed to VA.
• Caesars Sportsbook: The other big name in gaming, Caesars Sportsbook is also bringing a sports betting app with a plethora of live betting options to Virginia.

What exactly is live / in-game betting?

Live betting, or in-game betting, is similar to standard pregame betting. The difference is that live sports betting takes place after the game is underway. That also means the opening of several more betting markets unique to live betting.

In the past, if you wanted to put money on a game, you had to get a bet down before it started. Bettors were shut out once the opening whistle blew. That’s no longer true. In play wagering keeps most standard betting markets open after the opening tip or kickoff, and you can continue betting on odds that are adjusted in real time.

These markets move as fast as the game does. A slight NFL pre-game moneyline favorite might find itself an underdog after the opposition returns the opening kick for a touchdown. You might even be able to get some points on a three-point pre-game NBA point spread favorite if the other team starts the game on a 10-0 run.

Myriad things might happen with live betting opportunities flying by and the odds being updated instantly. This makes the use of a sportsbook app paramount to in play betting. By the time you wait in line at a window inside a retail sportsbook and try to get a bet down, the game — and the odds on that bet you wanted — are likely to have changed.

Live sports betting means you can get in on the betting action at any time and use real-time information to adjust your initial betting strategy on a game. It also means you can hedge winners, double down or bet the other side of obvious losses.

Live betting is a different animal

Traditional pregame sports betting is about researching the teams, seeking out value, picking winners and placing your bet before it all gets started. Then, you watch the game and hope you made the right decisions.

Live betting is a different animal. There’s no time to watch and hope. Instead, in game betting is about studying the constantly changing odds and adjusting your betting strategy based on those odds and the game action in real time.

More betting possibilities open up, the markets are constantly in flux and you can jump in and out of the action any time you like. You’ll find new moneyline, spread bets and totals odds, plus an entirely new set of betting markets focused less on the outcome of the game and more on the action inside it.

You can double down on the bets you know are winners. You’ll be betting even more money at increasingly worse odds, but if your side finishes the job, you’ll increase your profits. Or, you can limit your losses by betting the other side to make up for some obvious pregame mistakes.

Plus, you can seize the day entirely, doing all of the above while betting on props inside the game based on exactly how you see things playing out.

How do live odds work?

Live betting odds are adjusted in real time. Virginia online sportsbooks use real-time game data to constantly adjust the in game betting markets they offer. The live betting lines for a game are as live as the game itself. They’re constantly changing based on the action and as impossible to predict as the action itself.

Oddsmakers might set various lines based on some of the same factors they employ ahead of the game; they just do it a lot faster for live betting markets. The action itself weighs heavily on the odds, and obviously, with things happening so quickly, computers and algorithms are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in setting these lines.

The odds show up in your favorite live sports betting app instantly, but there are more than a few moving pieces behind the scenes before they do.

How to bet on live games

Live betting happens fast on Virginia sports betting apps because the changing odds demand speed, and betting on the live markets is so simple and easy. Prior to the start of any game that you are considering live betting, you should:

• Download the app on your iPhone, iPad or Android phone/tablet.
• Sign up for a new account or log in to your existing one.
• Make a deposit if you need money in your account to bet with.
• Click on the “live betting” tab to browse through the available markets.

You will also find any live betting markets available under the sport-specific tabs, assuming there is some live action going on in that sport. After that, betting works like it always does:

• Find a line you like and tap on it.
• Enter the amount you want to wager on the instantly created bet slip.
• Tap to confirm/submit the bet.

Live betting examples

There will be live betting available on most Virginia sportsbook apps for all the major sports. Football and basketball are the most popular of the Big 4 followed by baseball and hockey. Here are a few examples of the kind of in game betting markets readily available via Virginia sports betting apps:

Live betting is also a big part of betting on NASCAR, betting on the UFC, betting on golf and betting on tennis. The bigger the game, the more action you should find.

Live & in play betting tips

There’s no substitute for good research when it comes to standard pregame betting. But you can pretty much throw it all out the window with live sports betting.

While the information you put together prior to the game can help inform your live betting strategy, the information you gain from watching the live action is much more important.

Live betting odds move at breakneck speed, so there’s no time for the deep internet dives you took in the days before game time. Instead, you’re forced to examine the odds in an instant and make decisions based on what you see in the game itself. You need to act fast and make instant decisions on whether to bet or wait for another opportunity.

This can lead to a rather stressful and intimidating experience, especially if you are new to in game betting. However, these basic live betting tips might help:

1. Manage your money: It’s easy to get caught up in the speed and excitement of live betting. That’s why applying proper bankroll management principles is so important. That means having a plan for how much you want to bet on a live game and sticking to it.
2. Choose wisely: There’s a lot of live betting opportunities in every game, but there’s no reason you have to bet on every one. Instead, be selective and focus on the bets you immediately feel comfortable and familiar with.
3. Trust yourself: This comes with being selective and starts with having realistic expectations and goals. If you’re real with yourself about how much you can really win betting live and accept that the goal isn’t to win every bet, just more bets than you lose, you’ll set attainable goals. Accomplishing these goals will help you trust yourself more and ensure you stick to bets you feel comfortable and familiar with.

Live sports betting mistakes

We all make mistakes. Hopefully, we learn from them and move forward armed with that knowledge. Here’s a few live betting mistakes we’ve learned you should avoid right from the start:

1. Be careful chasing losses: When you’re looking at a bet slip full of obvious losses with much of the game still to play, there’s a tendency to want to chase those losses with a series of live bets against yourself. Be careful with this, as the odds will rarely be in your favor, and you might have to lay out a dangerous amount just to break even. Think responsible gambling.
2. Don’t get out of your depth: If you wouldn’t bet on it before the game, don’t bet on it during the game. In other words, stick to the bets you feel comfortable and familiar with, whether that’s a certain type of bet, or bets on a certain sport. Just because there’s live betting on Scottish hurling the night after you took your lumps betting on the NFL doesn’t mean you should bet on it.

Live betting: The bottom line

Live betting is the fastest-growing segment in the online sports betting industry. It’s bound to be huge here in Virginia.

Things move fast in live betting markets, and it can be a fun and exciting way to enhance any game watching experience when done responsibly. Just take the time to explore all your in game betting options in detail before you dive in headfirst. It’s easy to get caught up in and certainly isn’t for everyone.

Proper bankroll management principles and a level of discipline are required for success. Like any form of sports betting, think of fun first and only bet what you can afford to lose to ensure you’ll have an enjoyable live betting experience.