What is BTTS - Both Teams to Score in betting

There are several betting markets for punters to choose from and one of those, both teams to score, or as it is commonly abbreviated to BTTS, is one of the most popular.

Predominantly a bet you can place in football, you can back both teams to score - 'Yes', or you can choose the 'No' option if you don't think both sides will find the back of the net.

There are also a few variations of the BTTS market in different sports, for example in Ice Hockey there is the market 'Both Teams To Score (Goals), where there is the 'Yes' or 'No' option for both teams to score two or more goals or three or more goals.

Below, we have all the information that you need about BTTS, from how it works to betting examples.

What does BTTS mean

BTTS is an acronym for Both Teams to Score.

What is a BTTS bet?

A BTTS bet is simply choosing whether you think both teams will score at least one goal in a match. If you choose the 'Yes' option for this market and both teams score, then the bet wins. However, this is a losing bet if both teams don't score.

Should you opt for the 'No' option in the BTTS market and only one team scores in the match, then the bet is successful.

The advantage of a BTTS bet is that it can be easier to predict than the winner of a contest. With team statistics, player form and lots of other data available, choosing whether to back BTTS can be a simple option at times.

In the 2024/25 Premier League season, BTTS was a successful bet in 218 of 380 matches, which comes out at just over 57%.

There are not many disadvantages to a BTTS bet. The one issue is that one team could dominate another and there are not goals at both ends, but then you would combat this by choosing the 'No' option for both teams to score.

Both teams to score prices are often odds-on as well, so if you are just wagering on this market by itself, then you would need to put a higher stake down to increase the potential returns.

How it works

A BTTS bet is simply backing both sides to score a goal in the match. Most bookmakers will limit this bet to normal time, so extra-time and penalties do not count.

For example, if the score is 1-0 at full-time and then the other team scores in extra-time, this will not be paid out as a winning bet.

How to place a BTTS bet

You can place a BTTS bet either pre-game or in-game, although the odds on offer will vary.

If you are doing the bet before kick-off, you simply head to the match you want to bet on, find the market which is often in the Popular tab, or alternatively you can click on the goals tab.

When you find the market, choose either 'Yes' if you think both teams will score or 'No' if you don't BTTS will happen. Put in the stake/amount you want to wager, and click place bet.

BTTS bet examples

If you think both teams will score in the Club World Cup fixture between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid on 15th June, you could select this bet. If both teams then end up scoring in the contest, your bet would win.

Different types of BTTS bets

While you can back BTTS as a single bet, there are also more options in which both teams to score is combined with another market.

Here are some of those markets.

• BTTS & Match Result - A two-part bet that includes both teams to score (Yes or No) and the result of the match (either side to win or a draw)

• BTTS in Both Halves - Backing whether you think both teams will score in both halves

• BTTS in first half - Simply deciding whether you think both teams will score in the first half

• BTTS in second half - Simply deciding whether you think both teams will score in the second half

• BTTS & Over/Under Goals - This bet is whether you think there will be a certain amount of goals, over 1.5, 2.5 etc, in a match that both teams score

• BTTS to score in first half/second half - This bet gives you the option to choose four different bets. There is Yes/Yes (both teams score in both halves), Yes/No (both teams scoring in the first half but not the second), No/Yes (both teams not scoring in the first half but yes in the second) and No/No (both teams not scoring in both halves)

• Both teams to score (goals) - This is a bet in Ice Hockey where you can choose whether you think both teams will score two or more or three or more goals in the match

• BTTS in a bet builder - You can also include the BTTS market as part of a bet builder

What is a Bet Builder? How to place one, markets and odds

Tips for BTTS betting

Looking into statistics prior to placing a BTTS bet could provide you with valuable information to make a more informed choice.

There is the teams recent form, for example Burnley kept 30 clean sheets in the Championship last season, so the smart play would have been to avoid backing both teams to score in their matches.

Head-to-head statistics are also good to look at, given some teams have a habit of putting on high-scoring affairs while others can produce some drab fixtures.

Team news ahead of a match can also be pivotal. For example, Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak scored 23 Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign for the Magpies, making up a third of the team's total, so you may think twice about backing BTTS if the Sweden international is not playing.