The eighth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off this year with 24 nation teams contested for the biggest prize in women football.

However, while the competition is lucrative for the participants, sports betting has provided viewers alike with a means to win some money. Though by it’s very nature, gambling is a risk-laden venture, but when done rightly, it can be a fun an exciting addition to watching the sport.

To get the best value of your sports gambling experience—especially as the Women’s World Cup approaches its closing stages—here are some expert tips to guide you.

1.  Understand the basics of sports betting

Betting goes beyond just knowing about which football team won their last six games. Before placing any bet, it is important to get a full understanding of some betting terms and how they affect your chances of winning.

From the meaning of betting odds to the various types of bets, have a clear understanding of them before staking on any team or football game. Terms such as low odds, betting bonuses, live betting, head to heads, live score, handicaps, betting markets and many more can affect your chances of winning.

Another important factor to consider is the benefits of placing a bet online rather than in-shop. There are several online sports bookmakers that provide lots of special offers and interesting odds—and having instant access to all of these different platforms provides a huge advantage over traditional betting stores.

It is also important not to fall for the numerous betting scams, fixed matches tips, and betting on football events that you know little or nothing about. Though there some football predictions that can be made to increase your chances of winning.

David Sumpter, a mathematics professor and author of Soccermatics—a book that explains how math influences sports.

“Numbers are revolutionising football. Every match provides stats about a player's pass-completion rate, distance run and shot conversion. Fantasy football leagues assign points to players for goals scored, appearances and assists. On betting sites, teams are characterised by their number of shots, corners and possession,” said Sumpter in a report.

“But to really understand numbers we need ways of visualising them.”

Sumpter created a Soccerbot model that has been successful in the 2019 Women's World Cup group stage picks, providing a healthy profit to anyone who has bet on it.

2.  Ensure you have a professional money management routine

After learning all the basics about football betting, the next thing to get a grasp of is selecting a feasible money management routine to stick to. Majority of those who earn a living from sports betting place wagers on singles and use a flat stake for their even bets.

Therefore, you can imitate the professionals and place a fixed amount consisting of anything between 0.5% and 5% of your initial bankroll. Discipline is very key in sports betting as it is the only way to increase your chances of success.

It is important not to assume that you’ll become an overnight success as the football betting—and sports betting in general—has a learning curve. For example, a lot of sports punters lose their money by including way too many matches in their accumulator in a bid to win more.

3.  Don’t get emotional in your bets

For so many punters—both amateurs and professionals—they are guilty of one crucial mistake, betting with their heart instead of their head.

However, to become a successful punter, you need to understand that despite supporting a particular team—and would definitely want them to win—you shouldn’t always ignore the statistics and back them every time.

Betting rightly entails you ignore all sentiments and evaluate the possibilities of a team winning, losing or drawing—depending on the type of bet you placed.