A look at how the Sporting Life recommended bets have performed in December 2025.
Points system explained
We use a points system, ranging from 0.5 to 10, to help underline confidence in a selection and to help you weight your stakes.
In other words, if your maximum bet is £100 and your normal bet is £10, you might have £10 on a 1pt win selection, £10 each-way for 1pt each-way, £20 for 2pts win, and so on.
Points staked also enable us to keep a fully transparent P&L, which you'll see below, but should be considered a guide only. We advise at prices available with major bookmakers at the time of publication and where the general price is considered acceptable.
Only bet what you can afford, and if you are concerned about your gambling please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Click here to view our tips for the forthcoming sporting action.
Profit since start of 2003 until start of current month (December 2025) is +5919.27pts
- December fixed odds total = +6.07pts
- December antepost total = 0pts
- December overall total = +6.07pts
Racing:
Weekend View (Dec 6) - 1pt e.w. King Turgeon in the Becher Chase at 14/1 (William Hill, 888sport, Coral 1/4 1,2,3,4). Result pending
Punting Pointers (Dec 4) - 1pt win Cast’s Tasha in 13:30 Leicester at 7/1 (General); 0.5pts e.w. Holkham Hall in 14:10 Wincanton at 33/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3). Result pending
The Late Play (Dec 4) - MB 1pt win Almaty Star in 6.00 Chelmsford at 9/2 (Ladbrokes, bet365, Coral). Result pending
Punting Pointers (Dec 3) - 1pt win Flowing Cadenza in 13:20 Ludlow at 9/1 (General); 1pt e.w. Diamondonthehill in 14:30 Lingfield at 8/1 (General); 1pt win Al Qaysiyya in 16:05 Kempton at 4/1 (General). LOSS=4pts
The Late Play (Dec 3) - MB 1pt win Does He Know in 14:08 Haydock at 3/1 (General). PROFIT=3pts
The Late Play (Dec 2) - IO 0.5pt win Stone's Throw in 14:52 Southwell at 12/1 (888Sport). PROFIT=6pts
Punting Pointers (Dec 2) - 1pt win Take Centre Stage in the 13:22 Southwell at 9/1 (888Sport, min 15/2); 1pt win Girls Night Out in the 12:30 Lingfield at 8/1 (888Sport, min 7/1); 0.5pts e.w. Smith in the 12:30 Lingfield at 25/1 (General, min 18/1). LOSS=3pts
The Late Play (Dec 1) - ND 1pt win Heads Or Harps in 1.45 at 9/4 (General). LOSS=1pt
Punting Pointers (Dec 1) - 1pt win Hilltown in 12:35 Plumpton at 10/1 (General); 1pt win Beleiveitanducan in 2:35 Plumpton at 7/2 (Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral). PROFIT=2.5pts
Football:
Fulham vs Crystal Palace (Dec 7) - JT: 2pts Fulham (Draw No Bet) at 20/23 (Boylesports), 1pt Eddie Nketiah to be shown a card at 4/1 (Betway). Result pending
Mark Stinchcombe's Predictions (Dec 6-8) - 1pt Mikel Merino anytime scorer at 16/5 (Betway), 1pt Enzo Fernandez anytime scorer at 9/2 (bet365), 0.5pt Morgan Gibbs-White anytime scorer at 4/1 (Sky Bet), 0.5pt Erling Haaland to score 2+ goals at 11/5 (Betfred), 1pt Dan Burn to be shown a card at 11/2 (BetVictor), 1pt Richarlison to be shown a card at 9/2 (bet365, Betfred), 0.5pt Richarlison to be shown a card & anytime scorer at 12/1 (bet365), 1pt Joe Gomez anytime assist at 14/1 (bet365). Result pending
Jimmy's Punt (Dec 5-6) - Friday - 2pts Over 2.5 goals at 10/11 (bet365), Saturday - 3pts Both teams to score at evens (bet365), 1pt Jack Taylor to be carded at 13/2 (bet365), 3pts Coventry to score 2+ goals at 13/8 (Paddy Power), 1pt Coventry to score 3+ goals at 11/2 (Sky Bet), 0.5pt Coventry to score 4+ goals at 20/1 (Sky Bet), 0.5pt Bobby Thomas to score anytime at 14/1 (General), 0.5pt Liam Kitching to score anytime at 18/1 (Sky Bet), 0.5pt Jaka Bijol to score anytime at 20/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes). Result pending
Man Utd vs West Ham (Dec 4) - JC: 2pts West Ham +1 Asian handicap at 23/20 (bet365), 1pt West Ham to win at 11/2 (General). Result pending
Best Bets (Dec 3) - JT: 3pts Arsenal to beat Brentford and over 1.5 home goals at evens (General), 1pt Aston Villa to beat Brighton at 5/2 (General), 0.5pt Villa to win and both teams to score at 5/1 (General), 1pt Burnley to beat Crystal Palace at 19/4 (BetVictor), 1pt Andre to be shown a card in Wolves vs Forest at 14/5 (BetVictor), 1pt Morgan Gibbs-White to score anytime in Wolves v Forest at 7/2 (General), 1pt Gibbs-White to be shown a card at 14/5 (William Hill), 0.5pt Gibbs-White to score and be shown a card at 12/1 (bet365). PROFIT=3.5pts
Liverpool vs Sunderland (Dec 3) JC: 1.25pt Draw at 9/2 (bet365), 0.75pt Sunderland to win at 15/2 (William Hill), 1pt Sunderland double chance, Robin Roefs to be carded at 22/1 (bet365), 1pt Sunderland to win, Robin Roefs to be carded at 55/1 (bet365). PROFIT=2.875pts
Leeds vs Chelsea (Dec 3) - TC: 1.5pts Ethan Ampadu 1+ total shots at 6/4 (bet365). LOSS=1.5pts
Newcastle vs Tottenham (Dec 2) - TC: 1.5pts Bruno Guimaraes 1+ shots on target at 7/4 (bet365). PROFIT=2.63pts
Best bets (Dec 2) - JT: 0.5pt Jack Grealish to provide an assist at 5/1 (Betfred), 0.5pt Grealish to score anytime at 11/2 (Sky Bet, William Hill), 1pt Erling Haaland to commit 2+ fouls at 27/10 (Ladbrokes, Coral). PROFIT=1.25pts
Best bets (Dec 2) - JC: 1pt Jack Taylor to be carded at 7/1 (bet365), 2pts Burton +0.5 Asian handicap at 41/40 (bet365), 1pt Robert Lewandowski to score anytime at evens (Sky Bet), 1pt Julian Alvarez to score anytime at 15/8 (Sky Bet, BetVictor). LOSS=5pts
Birmingham vs Watford (Dec 1) - TC: 2pts Over 2.5 goals at 11/10 (General). PROFIT=2.2pts
Golf:
Hero World Challenge (Dec 4-7) - 3pts e.w. Hideki Matsuyama at 20/1 (bet365 1/4 1,2,3,4); 2pts e.w. Justin Rose at 22/1 (bet365 1/4 1,2,3,4). Result pending
Nedbank Golf Challenge (Dec 4-7) - 5pts win Viktor Hovland at 8/1 (General); 3pts e.w. Christiaan Bezuidenhout at 20/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5); 2pts e.w. Thomas Detry at 28/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5); 1pt e.w. Jesper Svensson at 40/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5). Result pending
Australian Open (Dec 4-7) - 1.5pts e.w. Cameron Smith at 33/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5); 1.5pts e.w. Lucas Herbert at 40/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5); 1pt e.w. Bernd Wiesberger at 125/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5); 0.5pt e.w. Matt Jones at 175/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5); 0.5pt e.w. Danny Willett at 225/1 (Betfred 1/4 1,2,3,4,5). Result pending
Cricket:
Australia v England: Day two in-play (Dec 5) - 1.25pts Marnus Labuschagne to make a first innings fifty at 13/8 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook, Sky Bet); 0.75pt Marnus Labuschagne to make a first innings century at 5/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook, Sky Bet). Result pending
Australia v England (Dec 4-8) - 1pt Mitchell Starc to take 5+ wickets in the first innings at 6/1 (Sky Bet); 0.5pt Mitchell Starc to 10+ wickets in the match at 14/1 (Betway); 0.5pt Michael Neser top Australia first innings batsman at 40/1 (bet365); 0.5pt Brydon Carse to hit the most England sixes in the first innings at 18/1 (bet365). Result pending
Snooker:
UK Championship round one (Nov 29-Dec 2) - 2pts Lei Peifan (+2.5) to beat Mark Selby at 11/10 (General). LOSS=2pts
UK Championship (Nov 29-Dec 7) - 1pt e.w. Kyren Wilson to win the UK Championship at 10/1 (General 1/2 1,2); 1pt e.w. Mark Allen to win the UK Championship at 20/1 (Star Sports 1/2 1,2). Result pending
F1:
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Dec 7) - 3pts Oscar Piastri to beat Lando Norris 29/20 (General); 2pts Kimi Antonelli to Beat George Russell 23/10 (General); 1pt double Piastri and Antonelli at 7/1 (General). Result pending
NFL:
Dallas Cowboys v Detroit Lions (Nov 5) - 1pt Jameson Willams over 82.5 receiving yards and anytime touchdown at 21/10 (bet365); 1pt George Pickens over 82.5 receiving yards and anytime touchdown at 9/4 (bet365); 1pt Jahmyr Gibbs under 76.5 rushing yards at 10/11 (bet365); 0.5pts Williams and Pickens over 82.5 receiving yards and Gibbs under 76.5 rushing yards at 6/1 (bet365). Result pending
Long-term or antepost previews
Football:
Jake's Europa League outright (Sep 22-Jun 1) - 2.5pts e.w. Roma to win the Europa League at 10/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair 1/2 1,2), 2.5pts e.w. Porto to win the Europa League at 11/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair 1/2 1,2). Result pending
Promotion outright (Sep 16-May 30) - JC: 1pt e.w. Sheffield United to win the title at 66/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes, 1/4 1-3). Result pending
Jake's Champions League outright (Sep 16-Jun 1) - 3pts e.w. Arsenal to win the Champions League at 8/1 (Betway 1/2 1,2), 2.5pts e.w. Harry Kane to be Champions League top scorer at 10/1 (General 1/4 1,4), 1pt e.w. Serhou Guirassy to be Champions League top scorer at 50/1 (General 1/4 1,4), 5pts Napoli top 8 finish in UCL League Phase at 9/4 (BetVictor), 2pts Bodo/Glimt to finish bottom of UCL League Phase at 14/1 (General). Result pending
Relegation outright (Sep 9-May 30) - JC: 2pts Nottingham Forest to be relegated at 7/1 (General), 0.5pt Nottingham Forest to finish bottom at 80/1 (BetVictor). Result pending
Relegation outright (Sep 5-May 30) - TC: 4pts Leeds to be relegated at 9/4 (General), 1pt Leeds to finish bottom at 12/1 (General). Result pending
Jake's European Outright tips (Aug 15-May 30) - La Liga: 0.5pt Arda Guler most assists at 40/1 (bet365 1/4, 1-4), Serie A: 1pt e.w Artem Dovbyk top scorer at 20/1 (bet365 1/4, 1-4), Ligue 1: 4pts Monaco to win Ligue 1 without PSG at 9/4 (General), 2pts Mika Biereth top scorer at 12/1 (bet365). Result pending
Joe Townsend's outright tips (Aug 15-May 30) - 5pts Brighton to finish in the top half at 10/11 (Betway), 1pt e.w. Cole Palmer to finish as Premier League top scorer at 20/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-4), 1pt e.w. Omar Marmoush to finish as Premier League top scorer at 50/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-4), 2pts e.w. Martin Odegaard most Premier League assists at 20/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-4). Result pending
Lewis Tomlinson's National League outright (Aug 8-May 30) - 8pts York to win the National League at 7/4 (General), 1pt Rochdale top three finish at 9/4 (bet365), 1pt Southend top three finish at 7/2 (bet365), 1pt Hartlepool top seven finish at 5/2 (BetVictor), 1pt Halifax top seven finish at 5/2 (BetVictor), 1pt Eastleigh top seven finish at 13/5 (bet365), 1pt e.w. Mani Dieseruvwe top scorer at 12/1 (BetVictor - 1/5, 1-4), 0.5pt e.w. Paul McCallum top scorer at 33/1 ((BetVictor - 1/5, 1-4). Result pending
Joe Townsend's outright tips (Aug 8-May 30) - 5pts Derby to finish in the Championship top half at 11/8 (BetVictor), 0.5pt e.w. Corey Blackett-Taylor to be Championship top goalscorer at 250/1 (bet365) (1/4 odds 1-4), 1pt e.w. Caleb Watts to be League One top goalscorer at 50/1 (bet365) (1/4 odds 1-4). Result pending
Jake's outright predictions (Aug 8-May 30) - Premier League: 5pts Aston Villa to finish top six at 6/4 (General); 1pt e.w. Dominic Solanke top scorer at 33/1 (General 1/4, 1,2,3,4); 0.5pt e.w. Rayan Ait Nouri top assists at 200/1 (bet365, BoyleSports 1/4, 1,2,3,4); Carabao Cup: 3pts e.w. Arsenal to win the Carabao Cup at 8/1 (General 1/2, 1,2); Championship: 2pts Ipswich and Southampton to finish in the top 2 at 9.3/1 (bet365); 6pts Coventry to finish in the top six at 11/10 (Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral). Result pending
Jimmy's outright punt (Aug 1-May 30) - Championship: 8pts Ipswich to be promoted at 11/8 (bet365), 1pt e.w Sammie Szmodics top goalscorer at 16/1 (bet365 1/4, 1,2,3,4). League One: 8pts Stockport top 6 finish at 11/8 (bet365). League Two: 8pts MK Dons top 3 finish at 11/10 (Sky Bet), 1pts e.w. Bromley (+22 handicap) to win League Two at 15/1 (bet365 1/4, 1,2,3,4), 0.5pt e.w Callum Stead top goalscorer at 66/1 (Betfred 1/4, 1,2,3,4,5). Result pending
Tom's outright tips (Aug 1-May 30) - Championship: 1pt e.w. Mihailo Ivanovic to be top goalscorer at 28/1 (Betfred 1/4 1-5), 1pt e.w. Mathias Kvistgaarden to be top goalscorer at 40/1 (bet365 1/4 1-4), 1pt e.w. Millwall (+24 handicap) to win the Championship at 18/1 (bet365, William Hill 1/4 1-4). League One: 1pt e.w. Malik Mothersille to be top goalscorer at 33/1 (bet365 1/4 1-4), 1pt e.w. Stockport (+10 handicap) to win League One at 15/1 (bet365 1/4 1-4). 2. Bundesliga: 2pts Hannover to win the 2. Bundesliga at 9/1 (General). Result pending
Joe's outright tips (Aug 1-May 30) - 1pt e.w Reading to win League One at 20/1 (General) (1/4 odds 1-3); 1pt Reading top 2 finish at 10/1 (Betfred, BetVictor). Result pending
F1:
Season specials Part I (Mar 14-Dec 7) - 5pts Kimi Antonelli to win a race at 7/2 (Unibet); 3pts Kimi Antonelli to win 2+ races at 7/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair); 3pts Ollie Bearman to beat Esteban Ocon at 13/5 (Virgin Bet, Livescore bet); 2pts Gabriel Borteleto to beat Nico Hulkenberg at 7/2 (StarSports); 2pts Alex Albon to beat Carlos Sainz at 3/1 (General); 1pt patent Bearman, Borteleto, Albon at best available prices. Result pending
Season specials Part II (Mar 14-Dec 7) - 2pts Kimi Antonelli to score 250+ points at 40/1 (General); 2pts each of the six rookies (Antonelli, Doohan, Lawson, Bearman, Hadjar, Borteleto) to score 5+ points at 80/1 (General); 2pts Oliver Bearman to score 50+ points at 66/1 (General). Result pending
NFL:
NFL season awards (Sep 4-Feb 8) - 3pts Abdul Carter to win Defensive rookie of the year at 15/8 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 2pts Dak Prescott to win Comeback player of the year at 3/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 2pts Micah Parsons to win Defensive player of the year at 5/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 1pt Omarion Hampton to win Offensive rookie of the year at 7/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 1pt Sean Payton to win Coach of the year at 18/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 0.5pt Box Nix to win MVP at 66/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook); 0.25pt Ricky Pearsall to win Offensive player of the year at 250/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook). Result pending
NFL season outrights (Sep 4-Feb 8) - 2pts Buffalo Bills to win Super Bowl at 7/1 (Sky Bet), 4pts Indianapolis Colts to win over 7.5 games at evens (Sky Bet), 4pts Indianapolis Colts to make the Playoffs at 2/1 (Sky Bet). Result pending
Cricket:
The Ashes: Paul Krishnamurty's series best bets (Nov 21-Jan 8) - 2pts Adelaide highest scoring ground at 3/1 (bet365); 1.5pts Perth highest scoring ground at 10/3 (bet365); 1.5pts drawn series at 10.5 (Betfair Exchange); 1pt England 3-1 series correct score at 16/1 (AK Bets); 0.5pt Harry Brook player of the series at 11/1 (Star Sports); 0.5pt Mitchell Starc player of the series at 12/1 (Betway); 0.25pt Jofra Archer player of the series at 20/1 (Star Sports). Result pending
The Ashes: Australia v England (Nov 21-Jan 8) - 2pts Ollie Pope top England series batsman at 10/1 (General); 1pt Mitchell Starc player of the series (Compton-Miller medal) at 12/1 (General); 1pt Marnus Labuschagne player of the series (Compton-Miller medal) at 16/1 (BetVictor); 1pt Jamie Smith England player of the series at 8/1 (bet365); 1pt Jamie Smith fastest fifty in the series at 8/1 (bet365); 1pt Alex Carey fastest fifty in the series at 20/1 (bet365). Result pending
The Ashes (Nov 21-Jan 8) - 2pts Marnus Labuschagne top Australia series batsman at 9/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, QuinnBet). Result pending