Updated on: October 4th, 2024
With regards to European soccer, while the German Bundesliga is not the most popular league, it still provides an entertaining show and a lot of betting opportunities. German soccer is some of the best on the planet. The fact that the national team ranks second in most World Cups won and fourth in most UEFA Champions League titles won is evidence of that. Thus, if you love competitive sports and gambling, you should not be overlooking Bundesliga betting.
If you would like to find out more about betting on the Bundesliga, read on down below. We have created the ultimate guide to betting on top-flight football in the German soccer league. Some of the topics we cover include:
- Types of bets
- Betting tips
- How to read on
- Frequently asked questions
We also list the online sports betting sites with the best German Bundesliga odds. (We encourage you to sign up through our portal to maximize your rewards!)
Get the Best Bundesliga Betting Odds Here
German Bundesliga Betting Lines Explained
There is a load of different lines available on soccer leagues. Some of the lines that have proven to be incredibly popular with Bundesliga fans include the following general and sport-specific options:
General Lines
- Moneylines/to wins – these are bets on who will win a game. You will notice that moneylines in soccer betting are slightly different from those in other sports as a draw is a completely viable result. This makes games harder to predict and increases odds.
- Spreads – with these bets, the sportsbook sets a favorite and an underdog and an expected scoreline. You can then bet on whether the favorite or underdog will beat the line.
- Bundesliga Outright Betting – this is a bet placed on a team to win the league overall. At this moment, we wouldn’t bet against Bayern.
- Over/unders – these are bets made on the score of the game. Will it exceed or come in below the sportsbook’s line?
Specific Lines
- Top goalscorer – this is a bet on which player will score the most goals in a season.
- Relegation – which team will be relegated to the country’s second division league?
- Outright minus Bayern and Dortmund – which team will perform the best in the league sans the two actual best teams in the league?
- Last place – which team will come in the last place?
Bundesliga Betting Tips
- Don’t bet against Bayern – well, for the moment, Bayern Munich is the top-performing team in the league. With eight league wins in the last decade, it really is a bad idea to wager against them. Unless some money is flooded into another team in a similar manner to what happened to Manchester City, we suggest that you reconsider any futures that don’t involve Bayern winning the Bundesliga.
- Watch games – each European league has a different feel, so knowing what works in Spain or England isn’t helpful for making predictions in Germany. In addition, teams doing well in the Champion’s League aren’t always doing well in their domestic league. (Chelsea famously came sixth in the English Premier League the year they won their first Champion’s League title.)
- Monitor player form – although soccer is more of a team game than a game of stars, there is no denying that some players make the difference. (Think of when Portugal plays without Cristiano Ronaldo – they’re less formidable). If a team’s key players aren’t in form, it is clear that the team is going to have a harder time winning.
How to Read Odds
So, there are three types of odds formats used at sportsbooks across the world. We show you how to read an calculate your winnings with each of these options here:
- American/moneyline odds – this is the most popular format at US and Canadian sportsbooks. Odds are signified with a number and a plus or minus next to them. Depending on the sign, you use one of these two formulas to calculate your potential winnings:
- Plus – Odds x (Stake/100)
- Minus – (100/Odds) x Stake
- Decimal odds – this is the format most popular at European and Australian sportsbooks. You simply multiply the amount you would like to bet against the odds available on the line.
- Fractional odds – this is the odds format that has proven to be the most popular at UK sportsbooks. It is shown as a fraction. You are able to calculate your potential winnings by using the following formula: [Stake x (Numerator/Denominator)] + Stake.
Last 10 Bundesliga Winners
Here is a list of the last 10 winners of the league. You will notice that it has been pretty predictable in recent years. A word of advice: don’t bet against Bayern Munich.
| Year | Team |
| 2010 | Bayern Munich |
| 2011 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2012 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2013 | Bayern Munich |
| 2014 | Bayern Munich |
| 2015 | Bayern Munich |
| 2016 | Bayern Munich |
| 2017 | Bayern Munich |
| 2018 | Bayern Munich |
| 2019 | Bayern Munich |
German Bundesliga History
Due to Germany’s rather “unique” political history, the Bundesliga has a less traditional historical timeline than compared to other European soccer leagues. Prior to the 1950, several leagues existed in each of the country’s states.
In the 1950s, in order to retain German players, there were mass calls for the formation of a centralized professional league in West Germany. The calls came as the national team suffered to remain competitive international tournaments. Meanwhile, in East Germany, the Football Oberliga DFV was formed in 1958.
In 1962, West Germany launched the Bundesliga following the country’s dismal performance in the 1962 World Cup. The league initially consisted of 16 teams and the first team to lift the league trophy was FC Köln.
Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, the East German league was absorbed into the Bundesliga. Only Dynamo Dresden and F.C. Hansa Rostock were kept in the first division in that first year.
Since then, the league has continued to prosper as has the German national team. Today, the Bundesliga is considered one of the best in Europe, even if only a handful of teams are really competitive.
