Bandy may be a sport that's unfamiliar to many, but it is quickly rising in popularity and become a hot favourite for a bet or two. A winter sport which is played on ice, it is similar to ice hockey in the sense that skaters use a stick to try and hit a ball into the goal of an opposing team. However, bandy is a non-contact sport and lacks the brutality often seen in ice hockey - but as a result is much faster and arguably much more exciting.

The rules of bandy are quite similar to football, as the game is played on an area of ice that is the same shape and size as a British football pitch. There is even an offside rule that is very similar to the one in football. Teams have eleven players, with one of these the goalkeeper. Bandy matches usually consist of two halves of around 45 minutes of play, with a break in-between.

If you fancy a flutter on a bandy game, your best bet would be to choose one of the big international events in which the games are held. These include the Bandy World Championships for Men, the World Championships for Women and the World Cup (the biggest bandy tournament on an elite level for club teams, with matches held day and night in Ljusdal, Sweden).

Bandy was the demonstration sport in the 1952 Olympic Winter games in Oslo, but is still waiting to be accepted as an official Olympic sport. However, the Asian Winter Games will hold bandy games for men in their legendary speed skating arena.