Betting on the EPL can be quite the rollercoaster, and in the age of modern betting, where there are so many different markets and sites to browse through, finding those that give you some longevity is often a good call.
Those who bet on outright markets can watch their bets completely fizzle out within the first half a dozen games; there are others who might have a good run up until Christmas, and then their selection runs out of steam.
Arsenal went into this season as one of the favorites to win the league, and while it is not a foregone conclusion at the beginning of 2026, plenty of Gooners will be ecstatic about where they find themselves in the table.
The bookmakers are often a good indicator of how outrights can pan out, and while they may fluctuate rapidly throughout the season, the current belief appears to be that Arsenal have one hand on the trophy. Are the bookies right, or is there something in the pipeline that could scupper their plans?
The Rise Of Outright Markets
With so many different sports betting markets offering their own variants of outrights, it has been quite a decade for both prominent and niche markets. Although outrights in the EPL are among the most popular football bets in the UK market, the growth of niche markets like esports (professional video gaming) has also laid the foundation for the development of outright markets.
If you take a look at some of the most popular professional video gaming markets, such as Counter-Strike 2, which is also referred to as CS2 for short, there’s a lot of symmetry between how they operate their outrights and how the EPL outright markets shape up. Betting on CS2 is simple, with the matches and tournaments.
Those who bet on CS2 matches at Thunderpick know exactly what we mean. While you can find outright markets for a multitude of esports, it is crucial that, for any market to succeed, betting platforms can create outrights based on season-long tournaments.
For CS2, this includes the ESL Pro League and IEM, and the Thunderpick World Championships, which were livestreamed on YouTube last year, as you can see in the link below. All three of which are some of the most popular CS2 betting markets.
EPL Winner Outrights 25/26
Even just using the esports betting market as an example, it shows how the digital frontier is now the main route for those looking to place bets on their favorite markets. In the case of the EPL, the start of this season has been similar to outright markets since the start of the decade, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City all leading the charge.
Liverpool were pretty clearly ahead of the competition in the 2024/25 season and ran out as deserving outright winners. Unlike when they won the league at the end of the 2020 season, Arne Slot ensured he brought in big-money new signings to bolster the squad and improve their chances of retaining the title.
Despite this bizarre narrative that Liverpool FC operates on a shoestring budget, they bought Florian Wirtz for £107 million, and he has been largely disappointing for that price. Just a few months later, they then broke the British transfer record and signed Isak from Newcastle for a staggering £125 million.
With all this in mind, the early money piled into Liverpool to retain their title, but within a few months of the start of the season, it became clear that all was not well at Anfield. It is a season that has since been marred by player outbursts, a broken leg for Isak, and the team out of the title race by Christmas.
Arsenal vs City - Who Takes It?
Nobody can dispute Aston Villa’s commendable performance this season, which has seen them go on an incredible winning streak and cement themselves as one of the top 3 teams in the EPL. However, as has been the case so often in recent seasons, there’s now a direct shootout between Arsenal and Man City.
Currently, the Gooners are in the ascendancy; they’ve been grinding out some big results, picking up points where they would usually drop them, and although they are yet to solve their striker problem, with Gyokeres blowing hot and cold, there have been timely contributions from some of their other attacking stalwarts across the midfield.
In recent years, Man City have simply gone out and waved their chequebook at those players who have stood out at other teams. Antoine Semenyo is the latest big-money addition.
Having impressed at Bournemouth this year, his big-money move could be influential in the final standings, but with Arsenal six points clear in January, it’s easy to see why the bookies think it’s Arsenal’s title to lose, with some offering odds of 1/4 - and although Arsenal are always in danger of “doing an Arsenal” and bottling it - it feels like it is destined for them this year.
