Bandy betting guide

Bandy, or "ice football" as it is also called, is a winter sport in which 11 v 11 players compete on a huge ice rink trying, almost the size of a football field, to direct a small red ball into the opponent's goal. Everything seems to be bigger in bandy, with the exception of sticks which are shorter than those used in ice hockey. As in football, the game consists of two 45 minute halves. Bandy is not as brutal as ice hockey since there is usually little contact between players and there are no boards to slam the opponents into. Bandy originated in England by the end of the 19th century.

What is interesting is that the word "bandy," which is Welsh in origin, denotes "a curved stick." Initially, bandy was played mainly on frozen ponds and there were no real rules. Soon, Englishmen made the game popular in Continental Europe.

Despite the initial enthusiasm for the game, it lost much of its popularity at the cost of ice hockey and football. Ice hockey moved indoors, while bandy was to bulky to follow. Overall, the sport is today practiced in about twenty five countries. It is estimated that 7 million people across the world play bandy professionally. Bandy retained its considerable popularity in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Finland, Kazakhstan and has recently been successfully introduced in Hungary, Italy, India, Mongolia and the United States.

In Sweden, for instance, bandy is a national sport and 30,000 or more spectators attend the annual championship game. Today bandy's biggest enemy is...global warming. It is increasingly difficult to hold outdoor games in Sweden and less so in Russia. That is why there is a pressing need to build indoor bandy venues.

• Outright betting. Predict which team will win the league or any other competition or tournament.
• Over-under betting. Total score. Predict whether the number of goals scored by both sides in the match will be over or under the value set by the odd-makers. For instance, 'Over 13,5' and 'Under 13,5.'

• Winner betting. Predict which team will win the match.
• Handicap betting. The team which is considered to be an underdog in the game is given an advantage in the form of goals so that the chances of both sides winning the match are equal. Half-goal added eliminates the draw outcome. For instance, 1.85 Odds – Favorite Team A (-7,5 goals), 1.85 Odds – Favorite team B (7,5 goals).