Both Teams to Score (BTTS) Explained: Yes, No & Tips

Both teams to score, almost always shortened to BTTS, asks one simple question: will each side find the net at least once? You're not picking a winner, just whether the game produces goals at both ends. BTTS Yes wins if both teams score; BTTS No wins if either is kept out. It's one of football's most popular markets because it sidesteps the result entirely, and the detail most guides skip is that own goals still count. This page covers the rules, the odds and how to spot a good BTTS bet.

What does both teams to score (BTTS) mean?

Both teams to score is a yes/no market on whether each side scores at least once, regardless of who wins. BTTS Yes wins the moment both teams have found the net; BTTS No wins if either team is kept out, which covers any 0-0, 1-0 or 4-0 scoreline. The result is irrelevant, so a 1-1 draw and a 3-2 thriller settle BTTS Yes exactly the same way. That focus on goals rather than the winner is why it's a staple in football.

You'll also see it written as GG/NG, the European shorthand: GG (Goal-Goal) is BTTS Yes, NG (No-Goal) is BTTS No. Two rules decide every BTTS bet. First, it settles on normal time only, 90 minutes plus stoppage, so goals in extra time or a penalty shootout don't count, though a penalty scored inside the 90 does. Second, own goals count: if a defender turns the ball into their own net, that registers as the attacking team scoring for BTTS purposes. It's one of the core markets in our betting markets guide, and one of the first goal markets new bettors meet in our sports betting guide.

What types of BTTS bets are there?

The standard market covers the full 90 minutes, but bookmakers slice it up and bolt it onto other bets. The variations let you target a sharper angle or chase a bigger price.

• Half-based BTTS: first-half BTTS needs both teams to score before the break, second-half BTTS after it, and "both halves" BTTS needs a goal from each side in both periods, a rare and long-priced outcome.
• BTTS & Win: both teams must score and your chosen side must win, so a 2-1 home win settles a "BTTS and home win". It pays longer odds because two things have to land.
• BTTS & Over/Under: combines BTTS with a goals line, such as "BTTS Yes and Over 2.5", pairing the market with our over/under totals guide.
• BTTS accumulator: stacking BTTS Yes across several matches into one accumulator, a popular weekend slip where every game must deliver goals at both ends.

BTTS is also offered in-play, with the price drifting as the match unfolds: it shortens once the first goal goes in and lengthens the longer a game stays goalless. Many bookmakers let you cash out an open BTTS bet early to lock in a partial return or cut a loss before the final whistle.

How do you read BTTS odds?

BTTS Yes in a fairly balanced match usually sits between 1.50 and 2.50 in decimal odds, often around 1.90. To read the chance a price implies, divide 100 by the decimal odds. So 1.90 implies about 53%, and the two sides together add up to more than 100% because of the bookmaker's margin. Most BTTS Yes prices map to a real chance between 40% and 70%, depending on how freely both teams score and concede.

Because Yes and No are priced against each other, a short BTTS Yes price signals two attacking teams with leaky defences, while a short BTTS No points to at least one side likely to keep a clean sheet. For the full method of turning any price into a probability and spotting the margin, see our guide to how betting odds work.

How do you find good BTTS bets?

Judge both teams' scoring and conceding, not who's likely to win. The bet needs goals at both ends, so a strong favourite expected to win comfortably can still lose you a BTTS Yes if the underdog gets shut out. Weigh both attacks and both defences against each other before you stake.

• Defensive records and clean sheets: two sides that concede regularly and rarely keep clean sheets are the natural BTTS Yes profile.
• Recent form and head-to-head: check how often each team's recent matches saw both teams score, and whether their previous meetings tend to be open or cagey.
• Team news: a missing first-choice striker drags a BTTS Yes case down, while an injured key defender can prop it up.
• Expected goals (xG): underlying numbers show whether a team creates and concedes more chances than the scoreline suggests, a useful check against a misleading run of results.

League context helps too, since some competitions simply produce more goals. BTTS landed in roughly 61% of 2023-24 Premier League matches, and several European leagues run higher still. Those rates shift season to season, though, so treat them as a starting filter rather than a fixed edge. Narrow your search by league, then judge each fixture on its own merits.

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