Scottish Football Betting Guide 2024

Scottish Premiership Betting

Although the Scottish Premiership is usually a two-horse race between Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers, the SPL presents lots of betting opportunities. There are 12 teams in the league, with each team playing 38 matches per season. Rangers won the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership to claim their 55th Scottish league championship, and it ended a run of nine straight league titles by Celtic.

Scottish Championship Betting

The second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League features 10 teams. The champions are promoted to the Scottish Premiership, swapping places with the team that finishes bottom of the Premiership. Clubs that finish second, third and fourth enter a two-legged Premiership play-off. The third-placed club plays the fourth-placed club. The winner plays the second-placed club before taking on the 11th-placed Premiership club to determine where they play next season.

Scottish League One Betting

The Scottish League One is the third tier of professional football in Scotland. It operates in a similar fashion to the Scottish Championship, with 10 teams competing for the title. Clubs that finish second, third and fourth in League One and ninth in the Championship enter a two-legged Championship play-off. Betting odds usually suggest the Championship side will triumph, but that’s not always the case.

Scottish League Two Betting

The Scottish League Two is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. It also features 10 teams, with the champions swapping places with the bottom club of League One. Since the 2014/15 season, the bottom team in the Scottish League Two has entered a play-off against the winner of the Pyramid play-off between the Highland League and Lowland league champions to fight for their position in the league next season.

Scottish Cup Betting

First held in 1873/74, the prestigious Scottish Cup is an annual cup that is open to all 98 clubs with full membership of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), as well as eight other clubs who are associate members. Matches in the second oldest competition in football history, after the FA Cup, are broadcast live by BBC Scotland and Premier Sports, which is why Scottish Cup final betting attracts so many punters.

Scottish League Cup Betting

Open to all SPFL clubs, the Scottish League Cup was first held in 1946-47. This makes it the oldest national League Cup in existence. The competition was a straightforward single-elimination knockout tournament until the 2016-17, when the format switched to a group and knockout competition. Rangers are the record holders of the cup, winning 27 times to date, and Scottish League Cup betting odds always reflect their success.

Scottish Challenge Cup Betting

The Scottish Challenge Cup was first held during the 1990/91 season to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the SFL. Intended to be a one-off competition, it has proven so popular that it continues to this day. Scottish Challenge Cup betting is also popular outside of Scotland, as two guest teams from each of the NIFL Premiership, Cymru Premier League, English National League, and League of Ireland Premier Division compete.

Scottish Junior Cup Betting

Held every year since 1886, the Scottish Junior Cup has an unseeded knockout format. Semi-finals are played over two legs, and the final is always played at a neutral venue belonging to an SPFL club. Smaller clubs take the competition seriously, as the winner has qualified for the following season’s senior Scottish Cup since the 2006/07 season. There is great demand for Scottish Junior Cup betting odds, yet not every bookmaker accepts bets on the competition.

Find the Best Scottish Football Betting Odds

Why place a bet at odds of 1.60 when you can lock in 1.80 elsewhere? Shopping around for the best Scottish football betting odds ensures you always receive the top price and maximise your returns.

We suggest creating accounts with some of the best online betting sites and comparing their odds before placing your bets.

Bet on Scottish Football Derbies

The best-known football rivalry in Scotland is the Old Firm, but there are many others. The Dundee derby, Edinburgh derby and Lanarkshire derby are always heated affairs, and you can take advantage by exploring the bookings and penalty betting markets.

Referees usually dish out a few cards during the 90 minutes, and there may even be a penalty or two.

Bet on the Corners Market

Over/under corners is one of the most popular Scottish football betting markets. With so much end-to-end action, defenders and goalkeepers are always kept busy. You can take advantage of deflections and saves by betting on over/under corners.

You can also back teams to win more corners than their opponents or for a certain number of corners to be taken in a half.

Bet on Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Whether you’re betting on Scottish Premiership matches, other SPFL leagues or the latest Scotland international, you should consider how many goals will be scored.

While there are many one-sided fixtures in the Premiership where you can practically guarantee more than three goals, other teams are more cautious and defensive which makes under 2.5 goals a popular bet.