Handball is one of the most popular sports among bettors, which explains why there are so many betting sites. However, while finding a sportsbook that will allow you to bet on this sport is easy, you have to know how to recognize the best bookmakers.
Sergio is our CEO and betting expert. He is a big football fan. Sergio is the guy that runs it all and the one who got the BetZillion idea. Sergio’s favourite sports include football, handball, futsal, American football, and boxing.
This article will teach you all about finding the top handball bookies.
List of the Best Handball Betting Sites
Betting on this sport is quite popular in Europe, where you can find the most wagering opportunities, but it’s also prevalent in other parts of the world. The number of bookmakers offering handball matches markets is a strong testament to that. However, while nearly any sportsbook is a handball betting website, there’s a difference between bad, good, and the best sportsbooks.
The best sports betting bookies will differentiate themselves from the rest with competitive odds on matches, good bonuses, a good selection of betting options, availability of live streaming, and many other features. Luckily, many sportsbooks meet those criteria, yet knowing how to recognize them is important.
In the sea of the best online bookies, it’s not difficult to find one that will allow you to have a good betting experience. However, there’s a difference even among the top bookmakers, as each does a certain thing better than the rest.
So, if you want to place live bets, SpinBetter is your top choice, whereas Ivibet is the superior sportsbook for those after a better welcome bonus and other offers. Here are my top picks for the best handball sportsbooks by category.
Mobile betting has become increasingly popular, largely due to the accessibility of mobile devices and changing demographics. Nowadays, it is the main way younger bettors bet on sports. Due to the increased demand for mobile betting, the best bookies started catering to mobile punters by offering mobile apps.
Mobile betting apps are far more convenient than mobile websites, offering a better betting experience and a quicker way to place bets. Thankfully, most handball gambling sites nowadays have a mobile app.
Many great handball bookmakers are available for punters, yet there is no such thing as one best one. Each comes with pros and cons and features other bookmakers don’t have.
To help you decide which bookmaker is best suited for you, I’ve compiled the top ten sportsbooks and compared them based on the features they can offer.
You don’t need a betting guide to know that using sportsbooks with competitive odds and a good range of markets is your best bet. However, when I talk about the best betting site for handball, I must also consider the availability of bonuses, offers, and optimal promotions for any major event.
Nowadays, it’s common for all sportsbooks to have bonuses and promotions, namely the welcome bonus, which is designed to attract new bettors. However, sportsbooks also offer bonuses for new customers and other offers for existing users.
From various deposit bonuses, acca boosts, enhanced odds, free bets, and more, bookmakers consistently have something to give their customers. The availability of promotions will vary depending on your location and the sportsbook you use, but typically, you can find betting offers everywhere during or before major events.
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Handball is one of the most popular sports among bettors, so naturally, plenty of sportsbooks will accept your bets. However, while finding bookmakers with handball markets is easy, knowing how to recognize the best ones is important.
At BetZillion, I do tedious research on the best sportsbooks for handball betting so you don’t have to, and in the process, I closely examine a few key factors that every punter should keep in mind when deciding on their own what betting site to use.
Security & Licensing 🛡️
When I talk about any sportsbook that can be considered the best handball betting site, it must be safe and legitimate. The best and easiest way to see if a bookmaker is safe is to check whether it has a valid gambling license from MGA, the UK Gambling Commission, or any other reputable licensing authority.
A sportsbook with a gambling license has to follow strict rules and regulations. One of the main rules bookies have to follow is to have the necessary tools to protect their users’ information. Moreover, bookmakers quickly lose their licenses if they scam their bettors or engage in questionable practices.
Payment & Withdrawal Methods 💳
Nowadays, payment and withdrawal methods are not as big of a factor as they used to be, mainly because sportsbooks have become very good at offering plenty of payment methods. Still, it should not be taken for granted.
More payment methods and higher limits are always a big plus and synonymous with all the best handball betting online platforms. So, while few bookmakers fail to offer an adequate banking department, this factor is something to consider when deciding which of the top sports betting sites.
Design & Usability 💻
The design and usability of a betting website or app are big factors in the overall betting experience. A well-designed website will be much more convenient than a badly designed one, offering quick and easy access to the betting markets and options you’re after.
The look of a platform is mostly subjective, but there is a clear line between well-designed websites and handball betting mobile apps and the rest.
Speed 🚀
The speed of a betting website or app goes hand in hand with design and usability. It also plays a big role in determining punters’ overall betting experience using a sportsbook.
A website or app that works slowly and takes a long time to load will heavily affect your live betting experience and indicate other issues the platform might have.
Mobile Betting 📱
Due to the prevalence of mobile betting, any modern bookmaker is expected to cater to its mobile betting audience. So, while it used to be enough for a sportsbook to have a mobile betting website, it’s now mandatory for all of the best online bookies to have a mobile betting app.
Features 🛠️
Added features like quick-bet option, live streaming, or added proposition betting markets are always a big plus. While not the key factor determining the best bookmakers for betting on handball or other sports, those with added features deserve a higher rating.
Customer Support 👩💻
Customer support is often overlooked as a non-important factor, which is reasonable, knowing that few bettors will ever encounter issues when using a bookmaker. However, a quality customer support department indicates the best betting sites.
All of the best sportsbooks have a solid customer support department, and having access to knowledgeable support agents can be very beneficial when and if you encounter any issues using the bookmaker.
How to Bet on Handball
Handball betting is straightforward, especially if you have at least a basic understanding of how sports betting works. To become good at it, you still need to learn more about this sport and the specific bet types, but betting should come second nature to any bettor with basic knowledge.
Still, while anyone can bet, not everyone will succeed, especially those who don’t know a few basic pointers.
Take your time when deciding which is the best online handball betting site for you. Consider picking one with competitive odds and enough betting markets.
Consider registering with multiple sportsbooks so you can price shop and have access to the best available odds.
Do your research before you place your bets – Information is the king in sports betting, and you should always strive to get as much information on a match as possible before placing your wagers.
Betting tips and predictions can be valuable tools to get more information on the games you want to bet on, so it pays to find reliable tipsters who can offer you betting previews.
The best advice I can give you regarding betting is to consider it an investment. This means you must learn how to manage your bankroll and never bet with more than you can afford.
Most Popular Handball Betting Markets
Handball is not quite like most other sports; however, betting on this sport isn’t difficult mainly because you will place your bets on markets that are very easy to understand.
Admittedly, traditional bookies or sportsbooks that don’t specialize in this sport betting might not have as many betting options. But even bookmakers that offer basic handball betting offers will include the most popular markets.
Match Bet
Match bet or match winner is the most basic bet type on all betting sites. It is a simple wager on which team will win the next match, and it doesn’t matter how much they win – the only thing that matters is the outcome.
Handicap Bet
Handicap betting offers punters a bit more flexibility when placing their bets than a match bet and is also one of the most popular bet types used by both new and experienced bettors. On a handicap market, you place bets on which team will win by a certain number of goals or whether the underdogs will win, draw, or not lose by a certain number of goals.
The favorites will always have a negative handicap, while the underdogs will have a positive one. The handicap number then gets added to the final score, determining whether your bet has hit. For example, if you bet on Germany +5 against Canada, the German squad must win the match or not lose by more than 5 points.
Total Points
Total points should not be confused with an Over/Under-type wager, with which you’re predicting whether the total number of points (goals) in a match will exceed the predetermined number set by the bookmaker. Instead, you’re predicting a frame of goals, such as 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, etc.
Although it may sound like a more niche wager, total points can be found on all handball online betting sites.
Outright Bets
Outright bets are wagers used to predict future events, such as the tournament winner, tournament MVP, and more. Most predictions made in the future are considered outright bets.
More commonly, when discussing outrights, we think of outright tournament winners. For example, if you want to bet on the world champion and believe Germany will win it, you can bet on the team on the Handball World Championship outright betting markets.
Highest-Scoring Player
The highest-scoring player bet is available as an outright bet on the highest-scoring player of a tournament or a wager that can be placed on each match. Any of the best online handball betting sites will have this bet type available since it’s fairly popular among punters. As the name suggests, with this wager, you’re essentially betting on which player will score the most points in any given event.
Most Popular Handball Competitions
Handball has become increasingly popular over the last few years, so more tournaments have started popping up. Nowadays, almost every country in the world has a national tournament. While those are very popular on any local betting site, most are not sought-after by international bookies.
Regardless, you can be sure that there are many tournaments you can watch and bet on, yet only a few stand out as the most popular.
Summer Olympic Games
Handball is a part of the Olympics and has been since 1936. Even though winning the Olympics isn’t considered as prestigious as winning the World Championship Olympics tournament, it is still extremely popular amongst bettors. It is, as a result, well-covered by all betting sites.
Since this sport was first introduced at the Olympics, it has been played at every Summer Olympics except 1948 and 1956-1968.
Over the 14 iterations of the men’s competition, only nine nations have ever won the handball Summer Olympics, and only four have done it more than once. On the women’s side, seven nations have won the gold medal, and only four have won it more than once.
Men’s Handball Summer Olympic Medal Table
Nation
Gold Medals
France
3
Soviet Union
2
Croatia
2
Yugoslavia
2
Germany
1
Denmark
1
Russia
1
East Germany
1
Unified Team
1
Women’s Handball Summer Olympic Medal Table
Nation
Gold Medals
Denmark
3
South Korea
2
Norway
2
Soviet Union
2
France
1
Russia
1
Yugoslavia
1
World Men’s Handball Championship
The World Men’s Handball Championship was first introduced in 1938, two years after this sport debuted at the Summer Olympics, and is widely considered the most prestigious handball tournament in the world. Despite being founded in 1938, no tournaments were held between 1938 and 1954, when the Championship resumed and was held every three years and, after 1993, every second year.
Over the twenty-eight tournaments held, 12 different nations have won the title, with France the most successful team with six gold medals, followed by Sweden and Romania, who won the World Men’s Championship four times apiece.
World Men’s Handball Championship Medal Table
Nation
Gold Medals
France
6
Sweden
4
Romania
4
Denmark
3
Germany
2
Russia
2
Spain
2
Croatia
1
Czechoslovakia
1
Soviet Union
1
Yugoslavia
1
West Germany
1
The next World Men’s Handball Championship, scheduled for 2025, will be hosted in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway.
World Women’s Handball Championship
The World Women’s Handball Championship, or IHF Women’s Handball World Championship, was first organized in 1957 and is the biggest and most important women’s tournament of the year.
Like the men’s world championship, the women’s championship is held every two years and in the same year as the men’s event, albeit at different locations. Like its counterpart, the Championship has been historically dominated by European teams who have won every tournament except for two – in 1995 and 2013, when South Korea and Brazil claimed the gold medal.
World Women’s Handball Championship Medal Table
Nation
Gold Medals
Norway
4
Russia
4
France
3
Soviet Union
3
East Germany
3
Hungary
1
Yugoslavia
1
Denmark
1
Romania
1
Czechoslovakia
1
Netherlands
1
Germany
1
South Korea
1
Brazil
1
The next World Women’s Handball Championship is scheduled for 2025 and will be hosted in Germany and the Netherlands.
European Men’s Handball Championship
The European Men’s Handball Championship is the official competition for senior men’s national teams. It works the same way as any European sports national tournament, welcoming only European teams.
While this makes it less prestigious than a World Championship, the fact that European handball teams tend to dominate all international events makes the European Men’s Championship just as challenging to win. Unsurprisingly, the same teams that do well at the World Cup championship also tend to perform the best in the European Men’s Handball Championship, including Sweden and France, which are two of the most successful nations in the tournament’s history.
European Men’s Handball Championship Medal Table
Nation
Gold Medals
Sweden
5
France
4
Spain
2
Denmark
2
Germany
2
Russia
1
European Women’s Handball Championship
The European Women’s Handball Championship is the women’s equivalent of the men’s championship. First held in 1994, it welcomes 16 female national teams competing for the European title.
Unlike the men’s tournament, the European Women’s Handball Championship has been historically dominated by Norway. Norway has won nine of the 15 titles, including four of the last five. According to handball betting sites, Norway is again favored to win the next European Women’s Handball Championship, which will be hosted in 2024 in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
European Women’s Handball Championship Medal Table
Nation
Gold Medals
Norway
9
Denmark
3
France
1
Hungary
1
Montenegro
1
EHF Champions League
The EHF Champions League is handball’s equivalent to the UEFA Champions League, a tournament for Europe’s top clubs. The EHF Champions League was first introduced in 1956 as the European Champions Cup before transitioning to the EHF Champions League in 1993.
The EHF Champions League is widely known as the most important club competition for men in Europe. It welcomes the continent’s strongest teams from all of Europe’s top nations. Unlike other tournaments, the EHF Champions League uses the EHF coefficient rank to determine which teams can access the event and which stage they enter.
Since its inception, the EHF Champions League has featured XXX different champions from 14 different nations; however, historically, Spanish and German teams tend to do the best, with 17 titles apiece, well ahead of the Soviet Union (5), Yugoslavia (4), East Germany (4), and Romania (3) as the only still-existing country in the top-six list.
EHF Champions League Medal Table (Top 10)
Club
Gold Medals
Barcelona (SPA)
11
VfL Gummersbach (GER)
5
THW Kiel (GER)
4
SC Magdeburg (GER)
4
Dukla Prague (CZE)
3
Ciudad Real (SPA)
3
SKA Minsk (USSR)
3
Zagreb (CRO)
2
Steaua Bucureşti (ROM)
2
Frisch Auf Göppingen (GER)
2
Men’s EHF European League
Men’s EHF European League is an annual club competition organized by the European Handball Federation (EHF). It acts like a cup tournament for the teams who compete in the EHF Champions League.
Men’s EHF European League was first held in 1981, welcoming 32 men’s teams, which were decided by the EHF coefficient rank. The tournament was previously known as the EHF Cup but was renamed Men’s EHF European League in the 2020-21 season.
Like the Champions League, the Men’s EHF European League has featured numerous champions from eight nations; however, the tournament was mostly dominated by German clubs, which have accumulated 26 titles.
Men’s EHF European League Medal Table (Top 10)
Club
Gold Medals
SC Magdeburg (GER)
4
Frisch Auf Göppingen (GER)
4
THW Kiel (GER)
4
Füchse Berlin (GER)
3
BM Granollers (SPA)
2
HC Minaur Baia Mare (ROM)
2
VfL Gummersbach (GER)
2
TBV Lemgo (GER)
2
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)
1
ZTR Zaporizhzhia (USSR)
1
Women’s EHF European League
Women’s EHF European League is a version of the Men’s EHF European League, held annually in Europe, welcoming Europe’s top female handball clubs. However, it has a much shorter history as it was first held in 1981, but it follows the same rules, including using the EHF coefficient to determine the participants.
Since its inception, the Women’s EHF European League has been won by 30 different teams, but only two have won the title more than twice – including two Danish clubs, Viborg and the current champions, Ikast.
Women’s EHF European League Medal Table (Top 10)
Club
Gold Medals
Viborg (DEN)
3
Ikast (DEN)
3
Debrecen (HUN)
2
Dunaújváros (HUN)
2
Leipzig (GER)
2
Holstebro (DEN)
2
Râmnicu Vâlcea (ROM)
2
Frankfurt an der Oder (GER)
2
Lada Togliatti (RUS)
2
Eglė Vilnius (LIT)
1
2024 Handball Schedule
Punters will have many bookmakers to choose from and plenty of betting bonuses to take advantage of when betting on the sport. But thanks to handball’s popularity, there is plenty to bet on.
Besides the World Championship and other major events organized by the International Handball Organization, punters can bet on many domestic leagues and cup tournaments. Still, it’s fair to expect much better coverage of more important tournaments.
Tournament
Date
2023–24 EHF Champions League
September 13, 2023 – June 9, 2024
2024 European Men’s Handball Championship
January 10 – 28
2024 IHF Men’s Olympic Qualifications
March 14 – 17
2024 IHF Women’s Olympic Qualifications
April 11 – 14
2024 Summer Olympics
July 25 – August 11
10th IHF Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship 2024 China
August 14 – 25
2024 European Women’s Handball Championship
November 28 – December 15
Top Handball Teams
Handball is primarily played in Europe, and while other non-European nations have accomplished a lot in international events, namely Brazil and South Korea, which have won the women’s world championships, the vast majority of the best clubs and national teams hail from Europe.
According to the current official ranking table by the IHF, the top-rated national teams (combined for men and women) are all European, with South Korea occupying the 10th spot.
Nation
Ranking Points
Germany
1459
Russia
1234
Denmark
1178
Hungary
888
Sweden
881
Serbia
875
France
811
Spain
754
Romania
734
South Korea
669
Top Handball Players
Like any other sport, handball has had its legends, players who were miles ahead of their competitors at the time. While their names are not as popular as those of other sports greats, Handball’s greatest players tend to be well recognized across Europe.
Ivano Balić – Two-time world championship MVP and 2003 World Champion, voted as the best male player of all time in an online IHF pool.
Nikola Karabatič – the first player named IHF World Player of the Year three times, won three Olympic gold medals and two MVPs in World Championship and European Championship.
Thierry Omeyer – Nicknamed “The Wall,” won the world championship five times with France.
Mikkel Hansen – IHF Player of the Year in 2011, 2015, and 2018, has won three successive world titles with Denmark in 2019, 2021, and 2023
Magnus Wislander – named the best male player of the 20th century, has won two world championship gold medals and three Olympic silver medals.
Andrey Lavrov – three-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion, and the only player to win an Olympic gold medal for three different teams (USSR, EUN, RUS)
Handball Betting Tips
Betting on this sport is easy to get into, but it can be tricky, especially for new punters who have never done it before. Many sportsbooks for betting on handball will help you with guides and useful dates, but ultimately, you must decide which bets you’ll place.
To find the best betting opportunities, you have to invest some time and analyze the games, players, teams, and all, which is often too much work for casual bettors. However, if you’re not a professional, there is a way around all this: finding betting tips and predictions in the form of betting previews.
Whether you’re new to betting or a knowledgeable punter, finding a reputable betting site that can offer you betting previews is beneficial. You don’t have to follow mindlessly what the betting previews say, but the previews can be an excellent information source.
In the end, you’ll have to decide on your approach and strategy on how to bet, and there are a few steps you can take to set yourself up for success.
You should consider using spread betting, a prevalent bet type among most punters. While straight betting is fine, handicaps often have more wiggle room and offer better prices on matches the simple 1×2 wager won’t be able to.
Live betting might not be for everyone, but it can be highly profitable once you get comfortable with it. Live betting can offer a lot of value for those who know where to look for the best live odds since the bookmakers are relatively inefficient in setting live odds.
Consider betting on friendly matches. Like in any other sport, friendly matches tend to end in upsets since those games don’t mean much for the teams outside of being a practice game. Friendlies often end in more goals, offering you a great opportunity to bet on total goals.
Accumulator bets are not as bad as they sound. Even though you’re more likely to win a single bet, accumulators aren’t a bad option if you can find five value bets and combine them into a single wager.
Bottom Line
Before I end my betting guide, here are some interesting facts about handball and handball betting you might not know about.
Some of the best players of all time include Mikkel Hansen, Ivano Balić, Cristina Neagu, Anja Andersen, Nikola Karabatić, and Magnus Wislander.
Handball is very popular across Europe, namely in Germany, Spain, Norway, Denmark, France, and the former Yugoslavia countries — Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, and Slovenia.
Many believe handball combines football, basketball, and water polo.
Each game has two referees – a goal-line referee and a court referee.
Handball is the second largest sport in Europe.
Players may not hold the ball for longer than three seconds and may not take more than three steps.
Handball origins are believed to date back to Ancient Greece.
It concludes my article on how to approach betting on handball and where to find the best sites. Now you’re ready and know how to sign up with top bookmakers, take advantage of betting bonuses, and start betting!
Remember to gamble responsibly and never wager with more than you can afford to lose!
Sergio is our CEO and betting expert. He is a big football fan. Sergio is the guy that runs it all and the one who got the BetZillion idea. Sergio’s favourite sports include football, handball, futsal, American football, and boxing.
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