X-Factor Betting

The X-Factor is back, and now with it's fifth series it promises to be more gripping (and cringing!) than ever, with the show bosses promising some exciting new changes, as well as the big £1million record deal for the lucky winner and the usual number 1 Christmas hit! X-Factor betting is easy, and great fun, too - you can either bet on your favourite from the start (and possibly get some brilliant odds!) or wait until the last few battle it out for a nail-biting finish to choose your X-Factor betting favourites!

How Do I Bet?

There are several ways to bet on the X-Factor, with different bookmakers offering different chances to win - for example:

A Back Bet:

A bet to "Back" the winner, you place this bet on who you think will win overall.

A Lay Bet:

A rarer type of bet to be offered, but great fun. In a Lay bet, you bet against people winning, and choose the person out of the final few you think definitely isn't going to get the top prize.

Manager Bets:

This is X-Factor betting on the judges, or managers. Which one of them will choose the overall winner of the show? With Sharon Osbourne not on the judges table this year, it's a battle between Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh. The minimum or maximum amount you can bet depends on the bookmakers, with some offering much smaller bets if you aren't sure, right up to bigger limits if you know you are onto a winner! There is no need to splash out on all your cash to have fun, though, and just the thought of having only a little riding on your X-Factor betting favourite is often enough to make the competition that much more exciting - especially if you've gotten great odds! Another fun way of making an X-Factor bet is with your friends or office workers - each getting a member out of a hat. You never know, it may give you the underdog that ends up winning!

X-Factor Betting Tips

Depending on your confidence, there are some great tips to be had for the X-Factor - if you don't mind the risk! For example, at the very beginning when bets are first offered, the odds will be greatly different than the odds offered near the end of the show. If you see a singer who you think has much more potential, and may shine the next week, then it may be an idea to catch a bet at the best odds while the bookies are unsure of his or her chances! As well as this, the newspapers and magazines will often run stories about the contestants - which often boost their popularity. Is one of them catching the public's attention more than others? Could be a winner! Lastly, the odds the bookmakers offer before the shows may be completely different than the ones they offer after - maybe a contestant will blow away the judges one week and become the new favourite, or die live on stage and their odds change dramatically. It's all about keeping an eye on the show and the news when it comes to picking right in X-Factor betting, so keep an ear open for all the latest X-Factor gossip!

Here's how they bet going into the final

Alexandra Burke is a best priced 8/13 with boylesports and vcbet

Eoghan Quigg 15/4 with sporting bet

JLS are 4/1 with many bookmakers including bet365