Sports betting is the process of predicting the result of a game, event, or match by wagering on the outcome of the contest.
If you are a real sports fan, it would be easy to assume that you know that sports betting, both legal and illegal, happens in every professional game and in so many college games as well. So many times you probably wanted to place a bet yourself but weren’t really sure how to do it.
In the United States, most sports bets are placed through illegal bookmaking operations. Nevada was the only state that was legally allowed to book sporting events with point spreads and odds. However, since May 2014, when the law was not renewed, legal betting is permitted in many states of the USA. Over the next 5 years, it is believed that more than 70 percent of the states will offer legal sports betting.
Sports bettors have been increasingly turning to online sportsbooks to place their wagers. With the increasing accessibility the Internet provides, the online sports bets industry will continue to flourish.
Today we have hundreds of online sportsbooks. Not all of them are reliable, and as someone new to sports betting, you should be careful with your hard-earned money.
In case you are entirely new to sports betting, we suggest that you first understand the fundamental aspects of sports gambling, including the most popular types of bets and terminology of sports betting. Your journey to sports gambling should be delightful. You can place some free sports bets with PlaySugarHouse.
Popular Sporting Events and Bets
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Among all sports, football is by far the most popular sport to wager on. On fall and winter weekends, Las Vegas sportsbooks are packed with customers. On Saturday, college football rules the day. On Sunday, the NFL takes over. The structure of football has played a role in its betting popularity. First, there aren’t that many football games in a season. In college, there are 12 games in the regular season. In the NFL, there are 16 regular-season contests. So, each game is important. Second, the sport is ideal for television. The pace of the games allows for replays to be shown between plays.
Since most bettors watch the games on TV, it enables them to feel like they are a part of the action in some regard. Because there is a lot of scoring in football compared to sports like baseball, hockey, and soccer, a point spread is used as a way to equalize the teams from a wagering perspective. Here’s what a typical point spread might look like:
Team A (-3)
Team B (+3)
When reading a point spread, it should be noted that the favored team has the minus number while the underdog squad has the plus number. To win a wager on Team A, the bettor needs the team to win by four points or more. To win a bet on Team B, the bettor needs the team to win the game or lose by two points or fewer.
The popularity of point spread betting has led to basketball being the next most popular sport to wager on after football. Totals or over/under bets are the next most popular kind of sports wagers. In these wagers, the bettor will simply wager on whether the combined total of points/runs/goals in a sporting event will go over or under the posted wagering total for the game. Money line or straight wagers enable bettors to wager on which team/player will win a sporting event without any regards to the margin of the victory. After football and basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer are the next most popular betting sports.
Sports Bets – Rules
At first glance, a sports bet would seem to be a fundamental element without much structure. A bettor places a wager on a team and either wins or loses. Most of the time, everything goes as planned when placing a bet. However, some unique instances can develop in a sporting event. Because of this, there is a standard set of sports betting rules and procedures that are followed by most bookmakers. Below is an overview of the leading sports betting rules
Length of Game
The first ruling issue in sports betting involves the period of a particular game. In the NFL and NBA, it is infrequent for any game to not be completed. Still, there can be some unusual circumstances in a game that might ultimately result in a shortened contest. At most sportsbooks, a football game that lasts at least 55 minutes is considered an official match.
In the NBA, at least 43 minutes of a game must be played to become official at most sportsbooks. This rule was notably referenced during the 2004-05 season. In an early season matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, a massive brawl broke out between the two clubs. With some players actually fighting with a few of the fans at the game, the contest was called with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter. At the time, the Pacers held a 97-82 lead in the game. Because at least 43 minutes had been played, bettors that placed a wager on Indiana were able to collect on the game. However, any total wagers were ruled as no action bets because the entire 48 minutes were not completed. This is one of the rare examples in basketball or football, where a complete game might not be played.
Baseball Wagering
For Major League Baseball wagers, some basic sports betting rules are used far more often throughout a regular season. With many rain-shortened games in a season, it is essential for the novice bettor to understand how these outcomes are handled by the bookmaker. In Major League Baseball, an official game must consist of at least five innings. If a game goes at least five frames but not the complete nine, the bookmaker will still pay out on the winning team. However, any over/under or run-line wagers will be ruled as no action bets. For these types of wagers, a full nine innings must be played for the stakes to become official. If a tie game is suspended in extra innings, most sportsbooks will stay pay out any winning run-line or total wagers.
There is another unique aspect to baseball wagering that a bettor needs to be aware of. When wagering on a baseball money line, there are two options available to the bettor. First, the bettor can simply have the team listed on his wagering ticket. In this instance, the bettor will have action on that particular team without any regards to that club’s starting pitcher. In the other option, the bettor can have the starting pitchers listed on his wagering slip. If one of the starting hurlers were to be scratched from the game, the wager would be a no action bet.
Dates of Wagering
Another common sports betting rule involves the specified date and location of a particular game or event. In most sports, a bookmaker will state that a game must be played on the scheduled date at the specific venue for it to be ruled an official contest for wagering purposes. Again, this stipulation doesn’t come into play too often. Still, there are some occasions when this rule is enforced. Every once in a while, some extreme weather may force a football or basketball game to be moved back a day or two. While a date change might happen a few times over a year, a location change is quite rare. However, there was an instance during the 2010 NFL season when this sports betting rule came into place. Because of the collapse of the Metrodome, the Minnesota Vikings had to play a “home” game in Detroit against the New York Giants. Obviously, the venue of this game had a real impact on the point spread of the matchup.
In the last decade, prop and matchup wagers have really become popular among sports bettors. Bookmakers have had to become quite creative to meet the demand for these types of bets. With so many different kinds of prop bets available, it is vital to check the rules on these events before diving in. Many of these wagers are quite different in structure from the standard point spread and total bets. Most online sportsbooks will provide a comprehensive list of sports betting rules for customers to go over. At the end of the day, the basic sports betting rules aren’t too complicated to understand.
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