Bet types
As we can see in our first graph, Betby’s data shows two interesting trends when it comes to the total amount of bets placed before the match versus in-play (or live). Firstly, we can see that 61% of all bets – the vast majority – were placed before kick-off.
However, when it comes to the percentage of turnover, 67% came from in-play betting. That means that, while less bets were placed during the game, these bets were bigger and – overall – represented a far higher number. Factors at play here could be an increased level of confidence given fans saw how the game was unfolding, or perhaps a different profile of player preferring to bet in-play.
Betting on the final
As the chart shows us, a staggering 77.1% of bets were actually placed on the losing team, Nigeria. However, Nigeria was in fact the pre-match favourite, despite Ivory Coast being the home side. The game ended up profitable for operators on Betby’s platform, too, because Nigeria also accounted for 51.3% of total turnover.
Interestingly, 71.3% of bets for the final were placed pre-match, and 53.9% of turnover. That bucks the trend of the overall tournament, slightly, perhaps as fans (and those supporting the nations involved) wanted to focus more on the game itself without wagering – and may have also been betting with their heart before the game.
Market types
This graph shows us the vast popularity of the match result market – i.e players betting on who will win, lose or draw. This market may suit the more casual players, as you will notice the % of bets is much higher than the % of turnover, suggesting lower stakes.
The ‘to quality’ market also represents a far lower amount. This is due to there being a higher number of games during the group stages, where ‘to qualify’ isn’t an option. But it also suggests greater interest in betting on a team winning a knockout match during 90 minutes, rather than simply picking which team will qualify for the next round.
Of course, there are different player profiles that need to be taken into account with different markets (i.e high-value bettors, casual bettors, beginner bettors vs those looking for value in particular markets). Two interesting cases are the “1st Half – Total Bookings” and “Sending Off” markets. Both represented less than 1% of the total number of bets; and yet combined they represented 6% of turnover, suggesting those very few who are betting on those markets are betting big.
The final odds
Betby data shows us the journey of Ivory Coast’s odds throughout the African Cup of Nations final. Starting as second-favourite, Ivory Coast’s odds jumped from 2.90 to 6.63 when Nigeria took the lead in the 38th minute.
The odds slightly drifted until Franck Kessié’s 62nd-minute equaliser. But Ivory Coast was never odds on to win until Sébastian Haller’s late winner, truly defying the scales of probability.
Bet builders only represented 1% of total bets, suggesting they are yet to gain popularity in African markets.
When measured head to head, AFCON accounted for 58.2% of wagers on Betby’s platform while the Asian Cup represented 41.8%.
