Anytime Goalscorer Rules Explained

When boiled down to the absolute basics, the anytime goalscorer market is incredibly easy to understand. 

A better will select a match on which they wish to bet and then will a player belonging to either side that they believe will score a goal. If a goal is scored by the selected player at any point during the fixture, the bet wins. Simple, right?

Rules of the Anytime Goalscorer market:

Is Extra Time included?

No, unless otherwise stated. 

When taking anytime goalscorer bets on the 2020 FA Cup final, for example, Paddy Power made it clear that they would pay out on goals in both normal time and extra time, while BetVictor would only do so for goals scored during the regulation 90 minutes plus stoppage time, meaning extra-time goals would not count.

If betting on a goal scorer in a match that could go to extra time, always check the small print.

What About Free Kicks, Penalties and Penalty Shootouts?

Free kicks and penalties scored during the regulation 90 minutes plus stoppage time are always included in goalscorer tips and bets. Strikes during a penalty shootout, unfortunately, are not. 

The Player I Bet on Didn’t Appear…

This is the risk we take when betting in any goalscoring market. If a player doesn’t play, they obviously don’t score, and ultimately the bet loses.

Research is needed to be done here to avoid choosing players that could be ruled out with injuries or are a rotation risk. Odds for such players will still be available, so the smart move is not to back them. It’s not the bookmaker’s obligation to make sure such a bet is void.

No Player Scored in the Match I Bet On…

If a match finishes 0-0 then, by definition, no players scored at any time. As such, all anytime goal scorer tips and bets on the match lose.

In the 2012/13 season Leo Messi netted in 21 consecutive La Liga matches, scoring 33 goals.

Other Popular Goalscorer Markets:

Hopefully, you’ve now seen that anytime goalscorer betting can be an enticing proposition, but it’s far from being the only choice in town for those who are all about the goals.

First Goalscorer Bets

The traditional goalscorer bet is on who will opening the scoring in a selected match. The odds are bigger here than in the anytime goalscorer market, as there can only be one first goalscorer. Many favour it as a market for this reason.

Last Goalscorer Bets

Another goalscorer market, and another one for which the name does most of the explaining. A better selects a match, picks a player on either side and, should that player score the last goal of the game, they can consider themselves a winner.

According to www.givemesport.com, Saido Berahino played 48 Premier League matches before finding the back of the net.

Tips for Bets in these markets

Winning is never be guaranteed in football betting. But, if you do wish to bet on a player scoring, there are steps you can take to improve your chances.

Following tips from more experienced punters is never a bad idea, and this can be done from the Live Bets page on KickOff. Algorithmic predictions, as found in the Acca Smacker, are also a good starting point. 

Beyond that, however, it’s important to follow some basic principals:

Assess Players and Team History

All football fans remember that player who seems to score against their team every game, season after season, or the former hero who returned to their old stomping ground to break hearts.

Looking through the stats and finding those players could just be the thing that gives you the winning edge.

Keep Your Eyes on Penalty Experts

Players that regularly step up and take penalties are a great shout on the anytime goalscorer market. Find out who’s on spot-kicks in each team, and make your selections accordingly.

Take Advantage of a Live Betting Strategy

Live betting on the anytime goalscorer market can be an attractive proposition for many reasons.

Firstly, betters would avoid the risk of a player not being selected. Remember, pre-match bets on a player that doesn’t even get on the pitch will still lose, but we can avoid this eventuality by waiting to see who’s in the starting XI.

Live betting can also mean that punters have more information with which to make their selections. After all, who hasn’t watched Liverpool and thought, “Mohamed Salah looks like he means business today”. When we see how a player is performing we can, in many cases, make more informed predictions.

Mohamed Salah broke a Premier League record in the 2017/18 season by scoring in 24 of his 38 league appearances, according to www.planetfootball.com

Advantages of Goalscorer Betting

These markets offer exciting variety and can completely change the way you watch a match. Willing just one player to score is a new experience for many.

Low Stakes with High Rewards

Chasing the biggest rewards possible does not constitute sensible betting, but being mindful of the odds on offer certainly does. 

The odds on goalscorer markets can easily range from 1.50 to 150.00 in a single match, depending on the player you pick, so there is certainly scope for placing a £1 bet in the hope of a big pay-out or taking a more careful, incremental approach. Struggling to get your head around odds in betting? Read our explanation on odds to help you out. 

Place a Wager on Multiple Players

Rules on anytime goalscorer betting do not restrict betters to just one selection, and it’s common for multiple players to be backed.

Think of Tottenham’s front three. How often do Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski all fail to score in a match? It was rare in the second half of the 2021/22 season, and often more than one would find the net. So, placing an anytime goalscorer bet on all three made perfect sense to many.

Easy for Novice Bettors

Having spent so long explaining how these markets work in detail, it may seem odd to finish by saying that these markets are easy to understand for novice bettors, but they are.

Along with markets such as correct score, the clue is in the title. You’re picking a single outcome which you expect to see, and the result is binary – either it does or doesn’t happen.

We hope you’re heading off with a better understanding of these markets, and we wish you the very best of luck in trying them out.

Written by Sasha Isaacs for kickoff.co.uk