Sports betting isn’t currently legal in Florida. This page represents the most recent information available and will be updated more frequently once the industry relaunches.
The U.S. has long been one of the few countries in the world where soccer isn’t the most popular sport. That’s not changing anytime soon. But the last decade has seen millions more soccer fans emerge in North America.
Florida has two teams in Major League Soccer: the Orlando City Soccer Club and Inter Miami FC. As many of the state’s residents are huge followers of European and Latin American leagues as well, Florida is one of the United States’ main soccer hotspots.
The 2023 MLS season is in full swing, and Inter Miami will have something extra to cheer about this year as the best player in the world joined the team. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi made his debut on July 21.
At the end of last year, Messi signed a sponsorship deal with the Seminole Tribe-owned Hard Rock International. After Messi helped Argentina win a World Cup title last year, Hard Rock Cafes put Messi-branded burgers on the menu for a limited time. In 2023, the restaurant added Messi-branded chicken sandwiches.
When sports betting becomes legal in Florida, those fans will be heading to the sportsbooks to bet on soccer in increasing numbers, too. With both local and international markets, anyone who wants to bet on soccer in Florida will have dozens of options. Below we’ll walk you through them and provide live soccer odds direct from Florida online sportsbooks.
Live betting odds for Premier League, MLS
Most soccer bettors from Florida primarily focus on either MLS odds or English Premier League odds. That’s why these two leagues are covered by all Florida sportsbooks, making sure you’ll find live soccer betting odds for them at any given moment. See below for the latest from Florida online sportsbooks.
Florida FIFA World Cup betting
The FIFA World Cup is by far the most popular sporting event on the planet, followed by more people than even the Olympics. The best teams from all continents meet every four years to determine which will hold the prestigious world title.
The United States men’s national team almost always qualifies for the event. Though they’re never the favorites to win, they have improved in the last few decades, commonly reaching the knockout stage. It’s a different story for the women’s team, who have won the FIFA Women’s World Cup a record four times. It should go without saying that both events will be thoroughly covered by Florida sportsbooks, allowing you to bet on everything from player props to outright winners.
The 2022 World Cup ran from Nov. 20 through Dec. 18 in Qatar. Argentina defeated France in penalty kicks for the 2022 World Cup Championship. Croatia beat Morocco in the third-place game.
The worldwide soccer spectacle only takes place every four years. The 2026 event is likely available to bet on from the Sunshine State. In four years, the tournament will be run in 16 cities spanning Mexico, Canada and the United States. Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium will be one of the venues used for the event.
Best soccer betting sites in Florida
Check out our list of the best legal betting sites in Florida, all of which cover hundreds of soccer matches every week while offering competitive odds and special soccer betting promotions.
How to open a betting account in Florida
Starting to bet on soccer online in Florida is a cakewalk. Here is a rundown of all the steps you need to take.
- Choose a legal Florida sports betting site from this page and click the link.
- Sign up by filling out a registration form that should contain some of your personal information.
- Go to the deposit page to fund your account.
- Claim the sportsbooks welcome offer, if available. Although this part is optional, you should always grab the opportunity to extend your bankroll.
- Find soccer among the list of sports.
- Choose your targeted competitions and matches, and create your betting slip.
How does soccer betting work?
Betting on soccer comes in various forms. A typical soccer match will usually have dozens of markets, while sportsbooks also allow you to bet on the winners of entire competitions and individual player awards.
That said, here are some of the most popular soccer betting markets you’ll find on top Florida sportsbooks:
- 3-way moneyline — Guess the match’s outcome or whether it will finish in the home team’s win, away team’s win, or a draw. Most sportsbooks also have the draw-no-bet market where you can guess only the winner and have the wager considered a push if the match ends in a draw.
- Total goals (over/under) — This bet allows you to predict whether the total number of goals scored in a soccer match will be over or under a given line. The sportsbook will usually give you more than one line, from 0.5 to 5.5 or higher.
- Double chance — This is generally considered the safest bet in soccer. Instead of one, you’ll be covering two of the three possible outcomes: 1X, 12, or X2.
- Half time markets — You can find almost all markets that relate to a soccer match’s full time for the first 45 minutes of the match as well. That includes moneyline, goals, double chance and more.
- Half time/full time — In this market, the goal is to correctly predict the outcome of the first half and the entire match. For example, you can bet on Orlando City to lead after the first 45 minutes but the match to finish in a tie.
- Goal scorers — If you have a favorite player, you can bet on them to score a goal during the match, including the first goal, last goal, anytime and multiple goals.
- Outright winner — Florida sportsbooks will release outright winner odds for every major soccer league, letting you predict who becomes the league champion. You can explore this market before or during the season.
Other available bets that aren’t as popular but you can definitely find on almost every sportsbook include the first team to score, correct score, both teams to score, spread (handicap), exact number of goals, number of goals odd/even and many more.
Live soccer betting
Thanks to online sportsbooks’ development, betting on soccer matches during the game itself is now more convenient than ever. Apart from pre-match markets, every Florida betting site allows you to place bets from the first to last minute of almost every given soccer match.
As for live markets, they don’t differ much from the ones found pre-match, meaning that you can still bet the moneyline, over/under, half time and others. The sportsbook may introduce other markets specific to live betting odds, like a bet on Inter Miami to score next or whether you’ll see a goal in the next 10 minutes. If the score goes heavily to one side, like 3-0, for instance, the sportsbook may introduce a 0-2 handicap market to make things more interesting.
Naturally, the soccer lines will shift over time and depend on the current score and the situation on the field. Because live soccer betting is time sensitive, many Florida bettors use sportsbook apps to do it. Luckily, almost all Florida sportsbooks offer functional apps or mobile sites, letting you place wagers wherever you are.
Exotic soccer bets
Soccer is, without a doubt, a popular sport for betting. Sportsbooks use this to their advantage by continually developing new markets, thus keeping the bettors engaged. That’s why every modern sportsbook has tons of soccer betting markets for every match. Some popular matches feature hundreds of them.
Among those are some fairly interesting finds that don’t necessarily relate to the match’s final outcome but rather certain segments. For example, you can bet on corners, like which team ends up having more, the over/under on the number of corners, the exact number of corners and more. You can find the same markets for yellow and red cards.
You can also find markets like total goal bands. This isn’t guessing the number of goals in the traditional over/under format but instead trying to predict the range of goals in a match. For example, 0-2 goals, 2-5 goals, etc.
There are too many exotic bets to count, and each sportsbook may have unique ones. Make sure to check the complete list of markets for a match if you’re interested in these types of wagers.
How to find soccer betting in your sportsbook
Regardless of which betting site or app you choose, finding the soccer section will take just a few seconds. Betting sites usually put the list of sports on the left side of the screen. Once you locate soccer and click on it, you’ll usually see a list of matches currently live.
The left side of the screen will now probably contain a list of soccer events divided by country/continent or a list of specific leagues. The sportsbook often puts the most popular leagues near the top of the list, including:
- MLS
- EPL
- La Liga
- Bundesliga
- Serie A
- Ligue 1
- Liga MX
- Serie A (Brazil)
Click on the league you wish to wager on, and you’ll see all of its live and upcoming matches, with each match showing a couple of the most popular markets and any possible odds boosts. Select any individual match to open its full list of markets. From there, start clicking on the corresponding odds to begin creating your betting slip.
Bet on the Continental Championships, Olympic Soccer
While less popular, continental championships like the UEFA Euro and CONCACAF Championship enjoy plenty of action on betting sites, and we can say the same for the soccer tournament at the Olympic Games.
Shop for the best soccer odds
A good thing about regulated sports betting markets like Florida is that you’ll have plenty of choices of where you want to place your bets. Every sportsbook has its own odds, and when comparing them, you’ll easily see an opportunity to win more money for the same stake if you were to bet on one sportsbook instead of another.
Have an account on as many legal betting sites as possible, so you can always take advantage of the best possible sports odds and lines.
Go easy on exotic soccer odds
Betting for a team to have more yellow cards or guessing whether the total number of goals in the match will turn out odd or even can seem exciting, but these markets are very hard to predict.
Consequently, a top soccer betting tip for beginner bettors would be to stick to the most popular markets for now and start experimenting once you get a little more experience.
Why bet on soccer over other sports
Soccer is one of the most popular sports for betting because it’s the most worldwide popular sport in general. Nevertheless, there are a few other reasons why bettors prefer wagering on soccer over other sports, such as:
- Soccer is played all year round — Unlike basketball, baseball or football that have long stretches of inactivity throughout the year, soccer is played all the time. For example, when the top European leagues take a break, the MLS season is in full swing. Also, during the summer break, you can bet on national teams. You’ll always find action no matter the time of the year.
- Highest number of markets — This is not to say that other sports don’t have plenty of markets, but soccer is the undisputed champion. Soccer is ideal for betting because matches last around two hours. They also have plenty of individual segments, allowing additional wagering chances.
- Sportsbook promotions — Sportsbooks attract customers by offering bonus bets, cash bonuses, odds boosts and other promotions. You can use these promotions on a number of sports, but considering that soccer is the most popular, they can often relate to soccer only.