Betting on the “Scorecast” refers to placing two separate bets on a single match: the person who will score the first goal, and the correct full-time score. Scorecast betting is essentially an accumulator, since your selected first goal scorer can fail to start the game or come in after the first goal, but your bet will still be settled as a single bet on the correct score of the match.

Since Scorecast bets are extremely hard to predict, bookmakers offer very long odds on Scorecast markets, which is the primary reason why many punters, particularly novice bettors, find them incredibly attractive.

For instance, in a match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, you can bet £10 on Van Persie to score the first goal, and a full-time correct score of 1-0, at odds of 16/1. If the Dutch actually scores the first goal, and the match goes on without any other goals to give Manchester United a 1-0 win, then you will earn £170. If Van Persie is the first goal scorer, but the full-time result of the game is not a 1-0 win for Man Utd, or if Man Utd win 1-0 but the only goal was scored by another player, you lose the bet.

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First person to score and Correct Score are dependent markets. If Van Persie scores first, it basically eliminates the possibility of a 1-0 win for the other team. Bookmakers like Scorecast bets because of their low theoretical payouts, and high chances of wins whenever unexpected players score first, or the match ends in a draw. To motivate punters to place their bets in this market, bookies offer inducements such as money back specials and incredibly long odds for the promise of a profitable win. A popular money back special is the offer to return all losing Scorecasts on that market if a certain player scores the last goal in the match.

While the chances of a correct prediction are extremely slim, and you lose your money whenever there is a goalless draw, bettors can place their Scorecast bets on low-scoring games to increase their chances of winning.