Guides

Short explanations of sports betting in Portugal, with the Portuguese rules and the official sources on every page.

Navigator looking through a spyglass at two lighthouses, a green one on a harbour wall and a red one on rocks

SafetyHow to check whether a betting site holds an SRIJ licence

Where to find SRIJ’s official list, which licence to look for for sports betting, and how to compare the address letter by letter to spot copies.

3 min read

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BasicsHow odds work

Decimal odds, possible return and implied probability, with examples in euros, and why the probabilities in a market add up to more than 100%.

3 min read

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BasicsBookmaker margin: how much the operator keeps in every market

How to work out a market’s margin from its odds, the two ways to measure it (overround and share of total stakes) and why it is the cost of betting.

3 min read

Navigator behind a table of model caravels: one alone, three roped in a line and a group linked in a web

BasicsBet types: singles, multiples and system bets

What changes between a single, a multiple (accumulator) and a system bet, how to work out the return of each, and why the operator’s margin compounds in multiples.

3 min read

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BasicsWhat cash out is and what it costs

How cash out works, why the operator’s offer includes a margin, what you give up when you accept, and why not every bet offers it.

3 min read

Bronze navigator at a ship’s bow, open palm raised in a stop gesture, facing a stormy sea and red-lit rocks

SafetyFake and illegal betting sites: how to spot them

Warning signs of an unlicensed betting site, what Portuguese law says about those who run or promote one, how blocking works and how to report a site.

3 min read

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Responsible gamblingLimits and self-exclusion in Portugal

Deposit and betting limits, breaks, self-exclusion on the SRIJ platform (at least 3 months or indefinitely) and support from Linha 1414.

3 min read

Guides

Betting should be a pastime