SBC News FA Cup betting - A bookmaker's perspective

FA Cup betting – A bookmaker’s perspective

Another year, another example of the famed ‘magic of the cup’ during this weekend’s third round action. League 2 side Oxford overcame Swansea, whilst minnows Eastleigh drew with Championship Bolton Wanderers. Elsewhere Wycombe drew 1-1 with Remi Garde’s struggling Aston Villa.

With numerous chances of a thrilling upset, generous odds in hand, the third round weekend is a popular one for football betting. SBC spoke to representatives from Unibet, William Hill and Betway to compile a summary of views on what this round tends to mean for the industry and its punters.

Joe Crilly, William Hill
Joe Crilly, William Hill

Joe Crilly, Press Officer at William Hill, answered some questions on the nature of the third round from a betting respective.

SBC: Does the FA Cup 3rd round tend to be a strong weekend for bookmakers, or the opposite with numerous big accumulators being won?

Joe, William Hill: Traditionally, the FA Cup is very punter friendly. Yes, you do tend to see a couple of upsets but generally 80% or so of matches usually go the way you would expect. Given the nature of the competition, you will see a number of short priced favourites (Everton were 1/5 to win against Dag and Red for example). These kinds of matches are the ones that attract lumpy singles as well.  Turnover is usually slightly down on a usual weekend although the televised matches can see more turnover than a televised Premier League game given the accessibility of some games being on BBC.

SBC: Is evidence of a belief in the magic of the FA Cup there to be seen, do you tend to see a vastly increased spread of betting on the underdogs?

Joe, William Hill: You aren’t going to see any huge bets on the outsiders but a couple of years back there were more than a few people who backed Middlesbrough and Bradford when they beat City and Chelsea; they provided the biggest day of cup upsets in recent memory in the fourth round last year.

SBC: Have you noticed any changes in the patterns of FA Cup betting this season, with this Premier League season having been particularly hard to call?

Joe, William Hill: People are always going to fancy the big dogs but I’m sure there will be a bit of caution given the way results have been this season. 

Anthony Cousins, Unibet
Anthony Cousins, Unibet

Anthony Cousins, Head of Sportsbook Commercial Relations at Unibet commented on where the majority of customers tend to place their bets: “The majority of customers focus their betting on the big Premier League teams or TV matches.”

He added: “The margin tends to be very good on the third round of the FA Cup, more so than usual we see customers backing big teams as they usually would but also their local teams. Alternatively they throw in a few big underdogs with the short price favourites which doesn’t tend to happen as often in a normal league week.

On the subject of whether it’s a strong weekend for bookmakers he said: “With liabilities spread out across more matches than usual it tends to be a good weekend for us, with the latter rounds having more potential for volatility.”

AlanAlgerBetway
Alan Alger, Betway

Alan Alger, Sporting Events & Media Relations Manager at Betway, stated: “In the early rounds of the FA Cup, team news is vital as some clubs may be prioritising league promotion or avoiding relegation over this competition. Punters are wise to this, meaning we don’t see as many early bets on win/draw/win as we would during a normal week ahead of league fixtures.”

 Alger also commented on the lack of potential for major upsets in this season’s competition. He said: “The usual non-league giant killing aspect of the third round is sadly lessened this year, with the Conference having their lowest representation for many seasons – just one club Eastleigh. I think that’s to do with the diminished quality of Non-League’s top flight, which might be a pointer for future competitions.”
The draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup takes place at 7.15pm on Monday January 11th.

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