This guide looks at the top bookmakers for badminton betting, the most popular betting markets and the players to look out for.
Best Betting Sites for Badminton Betting
- Hugely popular bookmaker in India
- Percentage of deposit matched by 10bet
- Free bets if one loses (selected sports)
- Extra bets and extra slot spins for bonus
- 24/7 Support line and multilingual team
- Low minimum bet amount – good for beginners
- Extremely successful and well-reputed operator
- Niche sports, esports and novelty odds available
- Generous welcome bonus for popular sports
- Perfect bookmaker for experienced bettors
- Flawless site functionality and maintenance
- Quick payouts and withdrawals guaranteed
- Excellent, easy-to-use mobile application
- Instant free bets for new customers
- Parlay insurance on selected markets
Top 5 Badminton Betting Sites
The below bookies are amongst the best live / in-play betting sites around for not only badminton, but sports in general.
- 10bet
- NetBet
- Unibet
- Pinnacle
- Boylesports
Popular Badminton Betting Markets
Below, we have detailed the most popular betting markets for badminton along with the best bookie for each.
Match Winner
This is a simple bet on the winner of the match. However, prices will change either way as events unfold, making it important to know the different strategies required for in-play betting compared to pre-match wagering.
Best badminton betting site for Match Winner: 10bet
Handicap Betting / Exact Margin
This refers to any bet placed on a player or team to win a badminton match – or even just one set within a match – by a certain minimum or maximum margin, or an exact one.
Best badminton betting site for Handicap betting: Unibet
Over/Under
Here, you place a wager on a match to produce under or over a certain number of points being attained or sets being played in total across the match. This can also refer to the number of points recorded by one team or individual.
Best badminton betting site for Over/Under markets: 10bet
Badminton Betting Tips
1. Compare Bookmakers and Offers
People registering with a new bookmaker for the first time can claim some truly amazing offers, ranging from free bets and matched bonuses to insurance parlays and greatly enhanced odds for match favourites. While we haven’t seen any offers specifically for badminton alone, most of these offers can be used on any sport you wish.
In the case of some bookmakers, placing bets, whether they win or lose, creates additional loyalty points and bonus store points, which can be exchanged for members-only rewards. Such rewards commonly include free bets and bonus plays at the casino.
Please bear in mind, however, that each offer can only be claimed once per household, and you can only deposit once under any code, regardless of the amount you choose. No future deposits can be used with a code, though wagers placed with future deposits are still subject to a rollover requirement.
2. Know the Difference Between Free Bets and Matched Bonuses
Free bets are the most commonly found offer for first-time registrants. This simply involves you receiving free credit, which can only be used for wagering, and not withdrawn as free money. Unless otherwise stated, you will need to deposit cash to unlock the free credit, and minimum odds will apply. The stake is not returned with any winnings.
Meanwhile, a matched deposit bonus is where your initial deposit is covered 100% by the bookmaker. Your stake is returned with any winnings, and there is no obligation to wager it all at once. However, you will have to play through the amount wagered a set number of times (at least once) – as stated in the operator’s terms and conditions for the offer – in order to withdraw funds.
3. Explore Niche Bonuses and Features
Some sportsbooks also allow you to engage in Fantasy Sports pools, and possibly even create your own private betting pool or sweepstake, playing with friends and family for real-cash prizes.
There may additionally be a number of opportunities to enter a Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contest for free. You should also look out for insight pages, such as official bookmaker blogs, statistical information sections, and betting guides which are similar to our betting tips page. The best sites out there will invariably have a clear link to such material.
Badminton Betting Operators – Reviewed
Read on to learn more about the most popular Badminton betting operators out there.
10bet
10bet is a hugely popular bookmaker in India, which never fails to provide valuable and popular offers for new and existing customers alike. The operator’s primary offer is a welcome bonus, where 50% of your initial deposit is matched by the bookie. This can be used as real money for wagering, although wagering requirements would come into play thereafter.
Users can also get free bets if they lose, although this only applies to selected sports and key events – mostly pertaining to football, cricket and US sports. There is also a VIP feature available, called the ‘Ten Club’. Members will be assigned their own personal account manager, receive invites to VIP events, get access to private forums and get priority for the fast-track withdrawal of funds, amongst other features.
NetBet
NetBet offers the full array of betting markets expected, and its odds for niche sports generally compare well to others. Its presence amongst the heavyweight sportsbooks is maintained by a unique approach to offering special deals, with this operator’s welcome bonus split 50/50 between extra bets and extra slot spins. Users qualify with a sports bet equal to the sum of both halves, and it comes in very useful for placing parlays.
The level of customer service provided by NetBet is also impressive, with a 24/7 support line and a multilingual team. There is also a generous range of payment options for depositing and withdrawing funds, and it is also known as being a fair bookmaker for those less experienced in online wagering, with a low minimum bet amount, and the operator’s ‘betting margin’ standing at 4.7% going into Q2 of 2021.
Unibet
Unibet place comfortably in the top five of Indian bookmakers when it comes to sports betting in general. Their range of markets is enormous, and there are few others who can match their live betting facility in terms of quality. Every need is accounted for, with the three main odds formats (American, Decimal and Fractional) available to use, alongside a promotional bonus for soccer, as part of the welcome package available.
Amongst the more niche sports offered by Unibet are chess, sumo wrestling, floorball and trotting. Naturally, Badminton odds are amongst the first to go live nearer the time of events, and they are updated with the same devoted regularity seen on the markets of more popular sports. Users can also bet on worldwide political events, along with other novelties, such as reality TV and other general elements of popular culture. You can also bet on esports matches or tournaments, which continue to grow in number by the year!
Pinnacle
Pinnacle is another prime example of a sportsbook that has prioritised customer service to a very profound extent. As of 2021, it remains without a hotline, such is the self-confidence within this operator to provide a flawless wagering experience. It is considered by quite a few critics to be the most secure betting site in the world, and also one of the most hassle-free operators when it comes to receiving payouts from winning bets and withdrawing funds.
Rather than offer a welcome bonus, Pinnacle focuses solely on identifying the most popular events and then offering odds that are unlikely to be beaten in many places, if any. The high betting limits also make Pinnacle a favourite amongst professionals – particularly sports traders – and those who do not want to go through the rigmarole of negotiating wagering requirements.
BoyleSports
BoyleSports is particularly big on racing, football and any sporting event involving its native Ireland. However, that does not stop it from providing an impressive range of events within its betting service, and with plenty of material on the site to provide you with advice and tips, the site values fair play and a good deal for its customer base.
The BoyleSports site and the app are both well-known for being easy to navigate, quick to load and for providing smooth transition between live feeds and in-play odds pages. So too are they known for providing some very unique bonus offers, with a lot of imagination – and an appreciation for the popularity of certain events – reflected by their specifics.
However, the offer that customers encounter first is ‘New Customer Exclusive Sportsbook Promo’, where free bets become instantly redeemable after a qualifying deposit. Users can also get parlay insurance, which is certainly useful if one leg does not prevail.
The above sites also feature in our guide to the best cricket betting sites around.
Badminton – Basic Rules
If you aren’t very familiar with badminton, the rules of the professional game can appear complicated at first. However, if you read through the basics and watch a few games, it will all quickly become clear. The full rules of professional badminton have long been published, but we've outlined the basics below.
A match is determined over the best of three games, each of which comprises 21 points. Players must use their racket to hit a shuttlecock over a net which is 5’1 high (1.55m), and failure to clear the net when returning the serve concedes a point.
A point is always scored by any means, which means that things like ‘no ball’ or ‘second serve’ (seen in cricket and tennis respectively) are not a part of play. The person or team winning a rally earns one point, no matter how they win it. If the score reaches 20-all, one side must open up a two-point margin to win – this is similar to the ‘advantage’ system seen at 40-all in lawn tennis. If the game reaches 29-all, the game goes to sudden death for the decisive 30th point.
Popular Badminton Tournaments
In 2021, there are two major Badminton events on the calendar, for which odds will be readily available at most bookmakers. Firstly, the summer will see the rearranged staging of Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the badminton games therein will command a worldwide audience. In November 2021, the 26th international BWF World Championships will get underway in Huelva, Spain. Again, the format is a straight knockout, with byes to later rounds for the highest-ranked participants.
Other major competitions currently in existence include the 16-team Thomas Cup and Uber Cup tournaments, which are respectively men’s and women’s team events. Both tournaments comprise a group stage (four groups of four teams), whereby the top two progress to a knockout phase.
The Sudirman Cup, meanwhile, is the flagship mixed teams tournament, comprising of 32 teams. There are two group stages, from which eight quarter-finalists emerge. Thereafter, the final stage of the tournament is a straight knockout. At the same time, the teams ranked 13th/14th to 27th/28th enter into a classification round, playing one another to finish 13th, 15th, 17th etc in the final table.
In addition to hosting the Indian Open as one of the tour competitions on the international circuit, India itself has its own domestic competition, with the Indian National Badminton Championships running every year between 1934 and 2018. The latter staging saw the men’s and women’s singles competitions won respectively by Sourabh Verma and Saina Nehwal. Resumption is pending under health and safety regulations.
Badminton: Tournaments Structures and Schedules
For the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the badminton tournament is set to be a knockout format, with preliminaries – followed by a Round of 16 (R16), Quarter Finals (QF), Semi Finals (SF) and Finals (F) – as shown in the below image:
As for the BWF World Championships, this is the provisional schedule, which will be confirmed nearer to the start of the event:
Badminton – Past Winners
Half a medal is awarded to each player in teams playing double games.
Olympic Medals Table
BWF World Championships Medals Table
Badminton Betting FAQs
What are the best sites for badminton betting?
Based on our findings, and the range of betting payment methods available, the top three sites we currently recommend are: 10bet, NetBet and Unibet.
Are there mobile apps for badminton betting?
Yes, all bookmakers mentioned previously have an app ready to use or in development.
What should the best badminton betting sites offer?
- A good range of options for depositing and withdrawing cash
- Customer support team available 24/7 – Pinnacle excepted
- Official certifications, fair and visible T&Cs
- Adheres to official regulations and holds the necessary licences to operate legally
There should also be a high-quality live streaming facility.
Who are the best badminton players from India?
Going into 2021, both the men’s and women’s tables had two Indian representatives. For the men, Srikanth Kidambi and B. Sai Praneeth were the top two Indian players, while the two women inside the top 20 were V. Sindhu Pulsara and Saina Nehwal. By the same point, Pulsara had the best win rate (69.92%), while Nehwal had the biggest career earnings ($858,585.00 USD).
Where can I read about the history of badminton?
Using any search engine, you can find out a wealth of historical information about this sport, the codified version of which has roots that go all the way back to the 19th century and the British Empire. However, it is noted that the birth of the sport itself goes back thousands of years to ancient civilisations!
CricketBettingAdvice Final Say
The 2020 Olympics will be a key part of bringing new talents within badminton to the fore. Predictions and odds for regular competitions will be largely shaped by ranking / seeding along with the primary factor, which is ‘form’ – as mainly determined by a player’s win percentage over a set number of matches (five, ten, 20 etc). Naturally, part of any betting strategy for badminton is to look at competition records and the form of top players at the same time.
Ultimately, badminton is a sport that can potentially be very rewarding in online betting markets if you have a good understanding of how games flow and the best times to place in-play wagers. Similar to the way in-play markets shift on the best football betting sites, games can frequently turn in a few mere minutes, making it an unpredictable and exciting affair. With plenty of offers out there, you may just find that badminton is the next ‘undiscovered’ goldmine of sportsbook wagering!
The Cricket Betting Advice team of writers are all defined by one goal: to provide you with the best online cricket betting content on the web.