Betting on the Asian Handicap

The underworld wager favoured by the operators and customers of illegal soccer gambling is known as the Asian Handicap.

Underground soccer betting in Hong Kong, estimated to generate $30 billion a season, almost exclusively revolves around the so-called Asian Handicap.

In this system, teams are handicapped by goals in the same way that horses are handicapped by extra weight.

In a wager on Liverpool versus Sunderland, for example, punters on the Reds can increase odds by conceding anything from half a goal to two or three goals.

By conceding two goals, Liverpool would need to win 3-0 (or 4-1) for a winning bet. A victory of just 2-0 would lose. By conceding only half a goal, the bet would also be lost with a draw.

With this particularly local product - which is virtually unknown in Europe - ruled-out for now, illegal gamblers seem certain to continue attracting illegitimate wagers.