Betting on goals is one of the biggest go-to markets available to punters online today, with numerous options. One highly specific option in this category is own goal betting, which involves players scoring goals against their teams. This bet type exists as an independent market that players can bet on directly. But as expected, own goals also affect the results of other goalscoring betting options like correct score, BTTS, first-player scorer, etc.
This guide explores everything a punter should know about own goal in betting. Keep reading as we cover the following critical areas:
From strong shots within or outside the box area to penalties, free kicks, headers, etc., a goal can come in various forms in a typical football match.
Goals happen when a player gets the ball into the opposing team’s net. However, there are situations when a player scores against their side. For example, let’s say a goalkeeper tries to block the ball from scoring and misses, only for his team’s defender to deflect it into the net inadvertently. This situation is known as an own goal, which gives a point to the opposition.
Sportsbooks use this goal in their markets like many other football game prop outcomes, resulting in own goal betting. There are 2 types of direct own goal bets. The first involves predicting that there will be an own goal in a game, while the other involves betting a specific player to put the ball in his team’s net. For example, you can bet on an own goal to occur during an upcoming game between Manchester United and Chelsea. You can also directly bet on a specific Manchester United defender to score an own goal.
Since it’s rare, sportsbooks’ own goal betting odds are unsurprisingly generous, with significant potential payouts. However, you should note that it is not as popular as popular betting markets, and even the sites that offer it don’t do so on all games.
However, an interesting fact about own goals is that they influence the results of other goalscoring betting markets, including anytime player scorer, first player scorer, last player scorer, both teams to score (BTTS), etc. Notably, the rules of own goal scorer betting vary for each market, as the goals count in some and do not make a difference in others. The next section of this guide explores this in more detail.
The betting markets where own goals count are the ones where it doesn’t matter who scores the goals. Hence, they treat own goals as any other goal. An example is the both teams to score (BTTS) market. If you bet on BTTS and the game ends with a 1-1 scoreline, your wager will settle as a win whether one or both points are own goals.
The total goals market is another market where own goals count. For example, if you predict that there will be a total of 4 goals in a game, you will win the bet as long as the scoreline result ends as 4-0, 3-1, or 2-2, regardless of how many of those are own goals. Also, own goals count in the settlement of over/under, correct scores, and other similar wagers.
There are many football betting markets where the occurrence of own goals doesn’t make any difference. Such goalscoring bet types are related to specific players and, as such, do not count own goals in their settlement. The most common examples in this category are the first, last, or anytime goal-scorer. In these markets, who scored matters more than the goals.
Essentially, if you wager on a first goal-scorer market and the very first goal in the game is an own goal, your bet will remain active until a player scores in the opposing team’s net. For example, let’s say you back Mohamed Salah as the first goal-scorer in a matchup between Liverpool and Newcastle United. But Newcastle’s defender Kieran Trippier makes a blunder and scores the opening goal in his own team’s net. In such a situation, the own goal won’t count toward the first goal-scorer bet, so you can still win the bet if Mo Salah ends up scoring the next goal into Newcastle’s net.
The same holds for the last goal-scorer wager, except the reverse will be the case. If Mo Salah’s goal is followed by Trippier’s own goal as the last before the game ends, the wager will settle as a winner. Similarly, an own goal won’t count in settling the all-time goal-scorer, no goal-scorer, score cast, hat trick wager, and other similar betting markets.
Unlike other popular wagering options, not every sports betting site offers the chance to bet on own goals on its platforms. However, most leading betting platforms offer their punters this wagering option. Our list of recommended sportsbooks for own goal scorer betting in 2024 includes the following:
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Aside from being the best platforms to bet on scoring own goals, these sportsbooks are some of the best on the market, with valid licenses and an excellent market reputation. They also offer competitive odds, cover various sports and events, feature several convenient payment methods, provide generous promotions, etc.
Sports betting generally works because the more likely an event will occur, the lower the odds the bookmakers will offer on it, and vice versa. Due to how humiliating it can be for players and their teams, own goals rarely occur in football games. As such, the market rates for own goals are usually relatively high, with odds often going over 10. But when it comes to marketability, own goals is a less popular betting market, so that you won’t find it on many sports betting sites.
Like most other betting markets, one essential factor that determines success when you bet on own goals is past records. Relying on statistics and percentages to predict the occurrence of your own goals will give you an edge over others who do guesswork.
The table below shows the percentages of own goals scored during the English Premier League over the last few years based on the standard 380 games per season.
| Season | Total own goals scored | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/2023 | 45 | 11.84 |
| 2021/2022 | 33 | 8.68 |
| 2020/2021 | 38 | 10.00 |
| 2019/2020 | 32 | 8.42 |
| 2018/2019 | 32 | 8.42 |
| 2017/2018 | 30 | 7.89 |
| Average | 35 | 9.22 |
Looking at the above numbers and percentages as they relate to the English Premier League over the last five seasons, we can get a more accurate probability of scoring an own goal in upcoming games.
There is no definite causative factor for own goals, as they can occur for several reasons. One of the most notable reasons for these goals can be attributed to the weather conditions during the game. For example, wet weather conditions during football games can affect goalkeepers’ ability to grasp a ball they try to catch.
Other valid reasons for own goals during games include:
One of the best parts of the sports betting industry is that it offers punters loads of markets and bet types. So, if you find that own goal betting is not for you, there are many other alternative options that you can try out. Let’s check out some of these below.
For example, you can choose Robert Lewandowski to score a goal in a matchup between Real Madrid and Barcelona. You will win the bet if Lewandoski scores the first goal in the game. However, as previously mentioned, own goals do not count in this betting option.
Due to the greater margin of error in first goal-scorer bets, the prices sportsbooks offer are usually quite generous and bigger than many other goal-scorer bet options. But the actual odds also vary depending on the player selected. For example, since they have higher scoring chances, the odds placed on attacking players in this market are usually smaller than the ones on defenders and midfielders.
The last goal-scorer is the opposite of the first goal-scorer bet. In this market, a punter will predict which player will score the final goal from any opposing game’s opposing team. For example, you can choose Erling Haaland to score the last goal in a match between Manchester City and Chelsea. In such a situation, you will only win your wager if Haaland scores the final goal in the game; otherwise, your bet loses.
Like the first goal-scorer option, own goals do not count towards this bet, and the prices offered for it are quite generous, as it is also quite difficult to predict accurately. Similarly, the odds for this market vary from player to player, usually depending on their position.
Perhaps the most popular form of goalscoring betting market is the anytime goal-scorer. Unlike the first, last, and own goals bets, this one offers greater flexibility to punters as it involves wagering on a player to score at any time during a game. It means that whether it is the first, second, third, or last goal during a game, as long as the selected player scores a goal in the match, your wager will win.
However, the tradeoff with this bet is that since it typically has a higher chance of occurring, it features lower prices than its counterparts. Yet, the odds here remain varied from one player to the other, with positions like midfielder and defenders pulling more attractive potential payouts.
Another exciting alternative to own goals betting is the no-goal-scorer bet. As its name implies, this option involves making predictions that a game will end with no goal-scorer. It can be an ideal betting option in games where you think both teams have solid defenses or there is heavy pressure on both opposing teams not to lose.
The Both Teams to Score (BTTS) market is a popular goalscoring betting market that involves wagering whether the two teams will each concede a goal during a match. So, when you bet on BTTS, your wager will win if both teams score. The odds sportsbooks offer on both teams to score bets are usually quite decent. And unlike the other goal-scorer betting alternatives listed above, own goals count towards this bet type’s settlement. So even if all the goals in a match are own goals, your wager will still win if both teams concede.
Correct score betting is another great alternative to betting on own goals. As its name implies, this involves making predictions on what you think the final scores in a game will be. For example, there is an upcoming Bundesliga matches between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and you predict the game will end with a 2-2 tie. You will only win this bet if the scoreline results at the game’s end is exactly 2-2. Any other result will lead to a losing wager.
As you can imagine, making accurate predictions on the specific scoreline a game will end in is quite difficult. So, the odds that sportsbooks typically offer on correct score bets are usually quite generous, with bigger potential payouts.
Like the BTTS markets, own goals also count towards settling this betting option. Another exciting fact about the correct score market is that besides wagering on the full-time result, you can also bet separately on the results of the first and second halves.
Perhaps one of the most innovative features of the sports betting world since the inception of online gambling is the introduction of in-play markets. Unlike the typical pre-match bets, in-play betting allows punters to place wagers on possible outcomes while a game is already underway, live. It allows punters to analyze the performance of teams and players in real-time before making predictions on what happens next.
The best part of live wagering is that it is available across a wide range of markets, including goal-scorer bets like any time, last, and first goal-scorer bet own goal. However, it is essential to note that, unlike their pre-match counterpart, the odds for in-play wagers usually fluctuate depending on the tempo of the live game.
Betting on own goal is a unique and intriguing part of football wagering that adds an extra layer of excitement to a punter`s experience. Although it is difficult to predict the occurrence of own goals in a game accurately, the returns are usually significant when you manage to do so. So, if you are looking to take a risk for bigger rewards on something other than traditional football bet types, you should try wagering on own goals.
Also, you must remember that own goals influence the settlement of other goalscoring betting markets, such as correct scores, total goals, both teams to score, etc. So be sure to understand the own goal rules discussed in this article to know in which of these bet types these goals count.
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