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Meaning Of A Sending Off in Sports Betting
One of the increasingly popular markets that you can bet on in many sports is whether a player will be sent off during the match. In this article we will look over the basics of this bet, the factors that will influence the chances of it happening, and the ways that you can improve your bet value, to give you a full overview of the meaning of a sending-off in sports betting.
What is a Sending Off?
Different sports have different rules when it comes to sending a player off, The following rules apply to the following sports:
Football
A sending-off in football is when a player from either team commits a violation of the laws that is deemed so serious he is shown a red card by the referee. A red card means he can no longer play any part in the match. It can come from a combination of 2 smaller yellow card offenses or be one of the below that leads to a direct red card.
The list of official Offences a player can be sanctioned for are listed below ;
| Serious fouls | Violent conduct | Unsportsmanlike behavior | Other offenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Committing a serious foul | Punching, kicking, or head-butting an opponent | Delaying the restart of play | Entering or re-entering the field of play without permission |
| Denying the opposing team a goal-scoring opportunity by handling the ball | Spitting at an opponent | Deliberately leaving the technical area to dissent with a match official | Showing a lack of respect for the game |
| Denying an opponent a goal-scoring opportunity | – | Receiving a second yellow card in the same match | Verbally distracting an opponent |
| Using offensive language | – | – | – |
Rugby
Rugby operates a sin bin system with a yellow card, meaning a player is given a fixed penalty time off the field and only sent off for the rest of the match for the worst of infringements. A yellow card can be upgraded to a red card whilst the player is in the sin bin after video evidence has been reviewed. A 20-minute red card can also be shown make sure you know what type of card you are betting on in a rugby match!
| Red Card | Yellow Card | 20-minute red card |
|---|---|---|
| A referee can send off a player with a red card for serious foul play, such as deliberate and dangerous acts | A referee can caution a player with a yellow card for less serious foul play | A referee can show a player a 20-minute red card for technical offenses, such as accidental head collisions |
| A player who commits a second offense after being cautioned and temporarily suspended must be sent off with a red card | A player who receives a yellow card is temporarily suspended for 10 minutes and must sit in the sin-bin | After 20 minutes, the player’s team can replace them with a substitute |
Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey has set rules and a sin bin system however, the offences below will cause a player to be ejected from the remainder of the match.
| Game misconduct penalty | Match penalty | Other penalties |
|---|---|---|
| A player can be sent off for a major penalty, such as fighting. | A player can be sent off for deliberately injuring another player, or attempting to injure another player. | A player can be sent off for butt-ending, elbowing, hooking, interference, kneeing, roughing, or tripping. |
| A player can be sent off for a minor penalty, which can be increased to a major at the referee’s discretion. | Many other penalties automatically become match penalties if injuries occur. | – |
| A player can be sent off for dangerous use of the stick, such as slashing, spearing, or high-sticking. | – | – |
Basketball
Basketball have very clear rules for sending offs (known as ejections) which relate to the flagrant abuse of the rules.
| Player Offences | Coach, trainer, or other team bench person |
|---|---|
| A technical foul | Can be ejected for a punching foul, a fighting foul, or violence towards an umpire. |
| An unsportsmanlike act | |
| A flagrant foul must be called for a participant to be ejected. | |
| Violent Foul – Punching or fighting. |
Cricket
A sending off in Cricket is a very rare sanction that has only actually been applied once in the history of the game in 2023 against a St Kitts and Nevis bowler for a slow run rate.
| Level 4 offences that can lead to a sending off: | Team Penalty Sending Off |
|---|---|
| Threatening to assault an umpire. | A deliberately slow run rate by the fielding team can lead to a player being sent off from the fielding team, usually a bowler, and penalty runs being awarded to the batting team. |
| Making inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with an umpire. | |
| Physically assaulting a player or any other person. | |
| Committing any other act of violence. |
Types of Sending Off Bet
In general, you can either select a particular player to be sent off during a match; or that there will or won’t be a sending off during the game.
For your bet to come in the player must generally be on the field of play (most sites will not count a non-playing substitute or a manager as a player being sent off for your bet to pay out). This may be offered as a special bet by some bookmakers on certain games but is not a general market.
Things that affect a Sending Off
- Players – Due to their personalities certain players will always be more prone to getting themselves into trouble with a referee while others are more likely to keep their noses clean and avoid bookings.
- Player Positions – It’s true that all positions can get themselves involved in altercations however central defenders and defensive midfield players are always more likely to find themselves needing to make important tackles or goaline interceptions that come with a higher risk of being deemed dangerous play. They will see being booked or even being sent off as a necessary part of their game and take the punishment of the foul for the greater good of the team, Sometimes this is even if they may have to make a sacrifice and leave the field of play.
- Skillful Players – More skillful players like Lionel Messi or Cristano Ronaldo, for instance in football, wingers in rugby, shooters in basketball and ball carriers in ice hockey, will regularly find themselves more fouled upon than other players. If a player is a strong ball carrier or dribbler, it’s more likely an opponent will resort to a foul to stop them, or a less skillful player will miss time a challenge against a more skillful opponent.
- Player Grudges – Over time, player rivalries built on past matches or off-the-field discretions can lead to heated on-pitch encounters and lead to one player goading the other into an action that gets the other sent off. This is especially true in ice hockey, where players often have real grudges against each other.
- Local Derbies – Derby day is always a tense encounter with rival fans fired up and a volatile atmosphere from the stands that can spread onto the pitch. Even mild-mannered players can find themselves caught up in the derby day atmosphere and get themselves into trouble with a moment of madness that sees them taking an early shower
- Referees – Different referees have different attitudes to the game, some will let it flow while others take a more no-nonsense approach and will be happy to get their cards out quickly to show they mean business.
- Managers – Some managers are happy promoting a more rugged style of play and this can lead to them accepting sending-offs as part of the match.
Predicting Sending Offs
It will pay to take all the above into account when searching for matches where you feel a sending-off is likely below is a few things to consider.
- Don’t cast your net too wide, focus on a league you know well so you can study only around 20 teams and therefore only so many players and matches.
- Look for derby days or matches where a lot is at stake relegation or championship “six pointers”, or even matches between promotion hopefuls.
- Look at squad players’ histories; are their teams which have individuals with poor discipline records?
- Find out which players draw the most free kicks or fouls in attacking teams and wait till they are playing weaker defensive sides with less experienced players.
- Check what referees issue the most cards in matches and see where they are refereeing on a given match day.
- Managers are also important if you have fiery ex-players as managers or big personalities who constantly argue with authority it’s likely their squad will be built in line with them and this can mean you’ll see certain teams regularly being reduced to 10 men.
- Player Stats – Look at what players find themselves regularly in trouble with referees look at players who frequently get themselves bookings or sent off.
None of this is a foolproof method to predict a sending-off in a match however, it will give you the best chance to bet with confidence and know you have done due diligence into your pre-bet research.
Betting on a Sending Off
Now you understand what a sending off is and what factors to take into account to increase the chance of finding a match with one in. It’s simply a matter of finding a betting site that will allow you to place a wager on the chances of it happening! To this end, you should find that most football betting sites will offer this market, but I have also selected the one below for you to consider and you can also gain yourself a decent welcome bonus with your opening wager.
They offer a number of markets on all the major football leagues so you can find alternative markets to bet on including whether or not a sending-off will happen during the course of the match.
Furthermore, they offer a matched welcome bonus of up to 100% of your original deposit up to the very generous amount of 122 (one of the highest available currently). You can use the link below to register and qualify for the welcome bonus.
Sending off when In-Play betting
You can usually make a bet during the match for a sending off to happen even if you have missed doing it before kick-off. You might see a few cards being shown early and feel it’s likely someone will pick up a 2nd yellow, or be watching a match and see a player or players getting themselves wound up during the course of the game with a live bet you will be able to get a bet on someone seeing red.
Obviously, live odds are more flexible and may not be as strong as pre-match, but again, it can add a bit more excitement to your enjoyment of the game. Not all bookmakers will offer this bet, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for ones that do.
Conclusion
A sending off in a sports match always makes it a memorable one! And if you can make some extra money on this, even better! It’s very rare for instance in rugby, basketball and ice hockey that a team with a man less for the majority of the game will win the match. In football, it can be possible for a team with fewer players to hang on for a draw or win because of the lower scoring system.
Following the above tips for predicting matches with a higher chance of a sending off should help you target matches where it will happen and your bet come in. As always, make sure that the odds you bet at are the best available and give you value.
