Glasgow Celtic remain one of the best-supported teams in the world. In fact, they have 800 supporters’ clubs in 60 different countries across the globe, while the club’s total fanbase is thought to total around nine million.
Celtic are also popular among betting fans, especially given their ongoing dominance of the Scottish Premiership and rate of success in domestic win markets.
Interestingly, the Hoops are also performing well in the UEFA Champions League this season, having taken seven points from the 12 available to them during the group stage. This has helped to make Celtic a more viable pick in European wagering markets, but what’s the best football betting strategy when backing them in the UCL?
Key Drivers Behind Celtic FC’s Betting Odds
As we’ve touched on, you can access a range of online betting odds and markets when wagering on Celtic. However, you can unlock the best value by backing them domestically, with Brendan Rodgers’ side having won 13 of their 14 league and cup matches so far in 2024/25.
What’s more, Celtic have scored 45 goals across these 14 matches, at an impressive average of 3.21 per 90 minutes. They’ve only conceded six goals during these encounters too, at a rate of just 0.42 per game.
So, not only is there value in backing Celtic to win in domestic matches, but you can wager at enhanced odds by betting on over 2.5 goals being scored per game. Similarly, backing both teams not to score is often recommended, except when the Hoops take on Old Firm rivals Rangers or in-form Aberdeen.
Interestingly, 12 of Celtic’s 13 domestic wins (in the SPL and League Cup) have seen the Hoops prevail by a margin of two goals or more. Seven have been won by three goals or more (53.84%), so handicap betting can also unlock enhanced value between the -1.5 and -2.5 goal lines.
If you’re going to bet on Celtic domestically, these trends will heavily influence the markets that you choose to target. They also help to shape the odds that we set at Betiton, especially when it comes to sports betting on moneylines and handicap options.
You’ll often find that Celtics are odds-on in the win market domestically, for example, while the -1.5 goal handicap line will typically showcase short odds. These prices are also liable to shorten further after they’re released, due to the sheer influx of bets from Celtic’s passionate and informed fanbase!
Celtic vs. Europe’s Top Football Teams: A Betting Odds Showdown
Conversely, betting on Celtic in European competition is a far less certain and predictable pastime. Before the start of this campaign, the Hoops had won just five of their previous 24 European matches (excluding qualifiers) since the beginning of 2020/21, including games in both the UCL and the Europa League.
But how exactly do Celtic’s football betting odds compare to the best teams in Europe, both domestically and in the Champions League? Here’s an at-a-glance summary!
| Team | Domestic Title Odds | UCL Odds |
| Celtic | 1.07 | 240.00 |
| Man City | 1.16 | 4.50 |
| Real Madrid | 2.20 | 5.55 |
| Barcelona | 1.66 | 6.50 |
| Bayern Munich | 1.07 | 9.95 |
| PSG | 1.07 | 40.00 |
The key takeaway here is that all of these sides are heavily favoured to win their domestic leagues. Celtic’s odds of 1.07 imply a 93.45% probability of winning a fourth successive SPL title, while even Real Madrid’s price of 2.20 to win La Liga suggests that they have a 45.45% chance of achieving this goal.
However, Celtic are priced at a lengthy 240.00 to win the UEFA Champions League. Statistically speaking, these odds imply just a 0.41% probability of the Hoops lifting the UCL trophy, highlighting the chasm that exists between domestic football in Scotland and Europe’s elite competition.
All the other sides in the table are among the favourites to win the UCL this season thus offering tight online betting odd values.
Cumulatively, the odds imply a 68.16% probability of Man City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern or PSG lifting the trophy this season. Interestingly, Celtic are priced at 125.00 just to reach the final, with this revealing an implied probability value of just 0.80%.
Betting Patterns Among Europe’s Elite
Another interesting observation is that the odds for Celtic and Europe’s top teams remain relatively consistent year-on-year.
For example, Man City and Real Madrid have topped the outright favourites’ list for the previous three seasons. What’s more, Los Blancos lifted the title in 2021/22 and 2023/24, whereas City won their maiden UCL as part of an iconic ‘Treble’ in the 2022/23 campaign.
Of course, both of these teams are aided by their immense financial resources, squad depth and the competitiveness of their respective leagues. These factors have a direct impact on their ability to compete in Europe and heavily influence their outright odds in the process.
The same can be said for Celtic, of course, but in reverse. The club was able to spend approximately £31 million in the recent summer transfer market, which this considerably lower than their European rivals. With a weaker squad and less competitive domestic league, it’s understandable why the Hoops remain unfancied in the UEFA Champions League.
To provide further context, the Celtic PLC group reported annual revenues of £124.6 million during the last financial year. Additionally, the club has a current annual wage bill of just £22.19 million.
Conversely, Real Madrid became the first football club to exceed one billion Euros in revenue (€1.073 billion) during the 2023/24 campaign. As for City, they earned an impressive £712.8 million during their treble-winning year, highlighting a financial chasm that’s hard for Celtic to bridge continentally.
Smart Betting on Football: Balancing Risks and Rewards
Clearly, Celtic are at a disadvantage in European competition, with this impacting the Hoops’s popularity in outright and match betting markets.
However, risk is inherent in every single sports betting market. Similarly, there are ways in which you can wager on Celtic in Europe while still pursuing a profit. Here are some online sports betting to help you strike the optimal balance between risk and reward.
- Consider Match Over Outright Betting: match betting offers several advantages over outright markets, including the diversity of lines available. In the case of Celtic, you can also bet against the Hoops, depending on the opponent and whether they’re playing home or away. Similarly, there’s often value in backing over 2.5 goals being scored in Celtic’s Euro matches, with their four group stage matches in 2024/25 goals yielding 18 goals at a rate of 4.5 per 90.
- Set Optimal Stake Amounts: whether betting online on Celtic or any other team, it’s crucial that you set optimal stake amounts for each line. A simple way to achieve this is to use the Kelly Criterion, which establishes individual stake amounts as a percentage of your bankroll based on the relevant odds and their implied probability Broadly speaking, your stake amount will increase incrementally as odds shorten, to help optimise returns and minimise your risk exposure.
- Be Sure to Gamble Responsibly: another key tenant of successful betting is gambling responsibly and within your means at all times. So, when engaging in online football betting, be sure to set a fixed and manageable bankroll, which also covers a finite period (such as a single Celtic game). Then, manage this by setting personalised deposit limits, which should be based on the size of your bankroll and online betting frequency.
Betiton – A Go-To Hub for Football Betting
Ultimately, Betiton remains the go-to option for betting on football in the UK, whether you’re a Celtic fan or not. But what sets the site apart as a trustworthy choice for UK bettors, and what are the advantages of using regulated operators of this type?
What Makes Betiton Stand Out?
Betiton is fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). As a result, it offers 128-bit SSL encryption to help secure payment details, alongside strong data protection measures. But what aspects help Betiton to stand out from the crowd?
- Diverse Range of Betting Options: at Betiton, you can access a diverse array of betting options and markets. These include a broad selection of live football betting lines, whether you’re backing Celtic in the SPL or Champions League. You can also access intuitive one-click betting and quickly build Celtic combination wagers.
- High Competitive Odds: Betiton also offers highly competitive football betting odds, particularly when covering high-profile competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. The site’s ‘Boostion’ offer may also increase the value of your combo bet payouts by up to 77%, depending on the number of selections included.
- Secure Payment Options: we’ve already touched on the fact that Betiton is an inherently secure site. It also offers a diverse and secure range of payment options to UK bettors, including Visa debit, Apple Pay, PayPal, Trustly and the prepaid Paysafecard.
Advantages of Using Regulated Betting Platforms
Broadly speaking, there are numerous advantages to wagering at regulated sites such as Betiton. We’ve summarised these in a little more detail below:
- Better Odds Comparison: you’ll find that regulated football betting platforms tend to offer the most competitive odds. Operators like Betiton are also incentivised to run enhanced odds promotions and regular price boosts. In some cases, you may also find guaranteed odds across a large number of regulated sites.
- Access to Live Betting Options: many football betting tips online are now focused on mobile wagering, due to the popularity of this pastime. So, you should note that regulated sites tend to offer the most advanced and varied in-play betting options, while many have also integrated live streaming into their offerings.
- Secure and Safe Betting Experiences: all regulated sites are required to offer 128-bit SSL encryption as a minimum-security standard. This helps to safeguard each deposit and withdrawal that you complete online. Similarly, regulated sites in the UK are compelled to register with GAMSTOP and support responsible gambling.
