Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
Research shows that the international sports betting market will grow to $106.25 billion by 2025. The market is accelerating with a 10% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). Nowadays, Americans can now enjoy online sports betting from the comfort of their homes. That’s due to the dramatic shift in the US’s legislative landscape.
The best online sports betting websites compete to attract new customers. That’s good news for bettors since the sportsbooks will have to offer competitive odds and enticing bonuses. But, finding the best online sports betting website to fit your needs can be overwhelming. After all, sportsbooks are heavily investing in promotions and marketing.
The various sportsbooks marketing strategies can be deceiving to beginner bettors. That’s why you need a guide to assist you in knowing what to do on your betting journey.
Keep reading this online sports betting guide to comprehend all there is to know about sports betting.
Introduction to Online Sports Betting
The best thing about sports betting is its ease at a basic level. You only have to predict the outcome of a match and then wager your money accordingly. When your prediction is right, you win, and vice versa is true. Though the fundamental concept looks straightforward, it’s more than making predictions.
Before risking your money, you have to comprehend a few things.
Why Bet on Sports?
Sports betting is a big business today enjoyed by millions of people. Some people infrequently bet while others do it regularly. Some do it for fun, while others take it seriously and put enough effort into making money.
There are various reasons behind sports betting popularity, but that does not mean there are no risks. The risks we associate with sports gambling lead to negative gambling connotations.
During ancient Greek times, philosophers warned of the dangers of gambling. Due to the sports betting opposition, there were bans on sports betting in most countries.
But, these bans were notoriously unsuccessful. That’s because they led to unregulated and illegal underground betting.
Thankfully, many countries realized this and began legalizing and regulating sports betting. Though illegal betting still exists today, most people have many options with legal bookmakers.
Nowadays, sports betting is a socially acceptable activity. You should not feel ashamed or hide it from anyone, but know that some people will always oppose it.
Regardless of what they think, sports betting is a legitimate way for you to spend your money. But, note that it’s not an activity for everyone. There are risks you will face when online sports betting.
3 Sports Betting Risks
You should not ignore the risks that come with sports gambling. We don’t talk about risks to discourage you from betting. But, we do believe everyone has to know what they are getting into first.
Here are a few risks with sports betting.
Losing Money
Losing money is an obvious risk of sports betting. Betting on a sport will involve putting real cash on the line, and you risk losing that cash. Even though you are backing big favorites, you are never guaranteed to win. Games are too unpredictable. Unlikely outcomes happen quite regularly.
For instance, remember the 2015 Rugby World Cup? When South Africa went head-on with Japan. People were backing South Africa to win since they were twice world champions, and Japan had only won a world cup match in 1991.
But, we saw a major upset in rugby’s history, with Japan beating South Africa by 34 points to 32. There is never a “safe bet.” Though some wagers are safer, none is ever guaranteed to win. Every sports gamble involves risk. That’s a harsh reality of online sports betting. Sportsbooks set odds and lines and make it very hard for anyone to make cash in the long run.
Have a realistic expectation when starting at betting on sports. Losing your money isn’t just a risk; it can be the most likely outcome.
Causes a Range of Emotions
Even though you accept the risk of losing and prepare for it, losing cash is still an unpleasant experience. It’s very common for people to feel frustrated, angry, or upset after losing money. That’s, even so when people lose cash on some unexpected outcomes. Unfortunately, unexpected results will always happen.
But, feeling bad after losing is just in our human nature to some extent. But, even though it’s natural, it is still a risk you should consider when deciding whether to start sports gambling.
Want to involve yourself in something that might cause negative emotions? Are you able to set the negative emotions on one side, or will they affect other aspects of your life?
Addiction is a Possibility
There are a few ways of ending gambling addiction. By knowing the steps to take, you can enjoy sports betting without worrying about addiction. Addiction is a real risk of online sports betting or any form of gambling. Most people assume they are immune to addiction, and it can never happen to them.
But, that kind of thinking is very dangerous. Though only a few gamblers will get addicted, you are never completely immune. Be very careful because gambling addiction happens even to the most unlikely individuals.
It doesn’t matter how disciplined, rational or smart you are. Addiction can happen to you.
3 Sports Betting Potential Rewards
Cash is the most obvious sports betting potential reward. The chance of winning some cash will always attract us. But, cash is not the only reward online sports betting offers.
Let’s look at the potential rewards in detail.
Money
Just like how gambling carries various risks, it also offers you a chance of winning money. What is different in sports betting? You can win cash without relying on luck. Since your fate is in your hands, you can win money consistently with the right approach. Like how we mentioned earlier, sportsbooks have an inherent advantage.
They will build a profit margin into each odd they offer you, similar to how casinos build in a house edge. Though you can’t overcome a casino’s house edge, it’s possible to overcome the bookmaker’s advantage.
But that doesn’t mean winning will be easy. Outcomes of sports events are never random like in casinos. You can use your sports knowledge in trying to make an accurate prediction.
Though we mentioned earlier that sports betting is unpredictable, you don’t have to make accurate predictions each time. As long as you’re accurate often enough, you will make an overall profit from your bets.
There is more to success in sports betting than knowing about sports and accurately placing bets. You have to understand the concept of value. For instance, you need to learn about sports betting strategies.
There are also some skills you must master. When you prepare and put in the necessary effort and time, you can beat bookmakers.
Fun/Entertainment
Few people make money from winning bets. That’s because it’s hard to be profitable, and many bettors do not put in the right effort. Many bettors are what we know as recreational bettors. For them, the chance of winning is never the motivation. Often, they accept that they will lose cash in the long run.
The bettors are happy with any outcome as long as they have some fun since they view sports betting as entertainment. That’s a great way of viewing sports betting as a beginner.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be successful at sports betting. But, it’s crucial to be realistic. There is no guarantee you will make an overall profit, and it’s unlikely you will win money as a beginner.
Having that in mind, it’s a good idea to think about the fun part of betting as a beginner. You will still have goals of making a profit, and you will also form good betting habits when starting.
But, there is more to say about just trying to have fun. Sports betting can make watching your favorite team more exciting.
Though losing cash is the likely outcome, you do not have to lose a lot of cash. Try and keep your stakes low, and you might win at least some of your wagers.
So, even though you lose overall, you will have plenty of fun without spending a fortune.
Satisfaction
You may want to bet on a sport because you are up to the challenge of making an accurate prediction. People love putting their sports knowledge to the test to see if they are good at it as they think.
Like bettors who do it for fun, money is not their motivation. They appreciate their wins, but they appreciate the satisfaction from their predictions even more.
We can all relate to this. Though we bet professionally and aim at profiting, we love the feeling of satisfaction after winning our wagers. Money is important, but we appreciate the joy of proving ourselves right. Predicting an upset is always very satisfying.
7 Online Sports Betting Facts and Fictions
Not long ago, people associated sports betting with negative connotations. People who bet on sports were degenerates in the community. But, the overall attitude of online sports betting changes with time. Sure, some people still think it is wrong, but that’s just a minority section in the community.
People are now talking a lot more about sports betting. Since we now freely discuss it, more information is available.
Many sites talk about sports betting making it mainstream. But, there is a minor downside. The information available is not entirely accurate, with some of it being very inaccurate. Before betting on sports, you need to know the truth. There are some myths and facts you need to know.
We will help you separate fact from fiction to know what you are getting into first.
Starting is Easy
Here is a positive fact for you. Sports betting basics are very straightforward with less to learn. So, it’s nice and easy to begin. When you follow our quick guide to online sports betting, you will place bets easily. Here are five steps you have to take:
Setting a budget
Decide on the amount of money you are willing to spend on your bets. We advise you to set aside money for betting purposes only when managing your money. The money will form your betting bankroll, so separating it from your spending money and savings is better.
Deciding your sport
Sports betting websites have many sports such as basketball, cricket, football, rugby, and many more. You have to select a sport you know about teams and players. That way, doing your research and team analysis will be easier.
Joining a betting site
Consider joining the best online sports betting website. There are many bookmakers out there, so making the right selection is important.
Learning about odds
You have to learn more about odds as a beginner before placing wagers. Odds are multipliers – they multiply the wager you are placing on a match.
Learning the simple wagers
There are different wagers in every sport. Consider doing your due diligence on the wagers that work best for you. Our quick start guide will explain these steps in detail. As time goes on, you will learn a lot more, but that can wait for now.
You Are Possibly Going to Lose
Though it’s easy to start betting, winning money is not nearly as easy. Know that it’s more likely to lose than win. Since you will lose money overall, you have to set an affordable budget. Note that we are not stating this to discourage you from sports betting. What we want you to have is a realistic expectation.
You will end up disappointed if you expect to make easy money.
Even though you know the sport you are betting on, beating the bookmakers is hard. Few people pull that off. But, don’t worry. There is a chance you will have a lot of fun when betting, making it even more appealing.
Can Be Profitable
We aren’t contradicting ourselves with this point. We stated that you would possibly lose money, but it’s not a must. See the difference? Some people will say online sports betting is for suckers, and only bookmakers make money. Do not believe them at all because it’s not true. Yes, the fact is some bettors lose, but it’s also a fact that some make a profit, and you can also do the same. Is making profitable bets easy? No.
Note there will be no shortcut to success, and there are no magic systems guaranteed to win. You become successful at sports betting by working very hard. Sadly, that’s why most bettors lose. They do not lose bets because it’s impossible to win; they do so because they aren’t willing to put in needed time and effort.
It’s All About Luck
We hear this more often, but it’s a common myth. Casino games are all about luck. But, sports betting is not in this category. We can’t deny that luck plays a role in online sports betting. That’s because, at times, you will win wagers you didn’t deserve or lose wagers you should have won. But, you control your fate here. The decisions you will make will hugely impact your bet outcomes. Becoming a successful bettor doesn’t mean you are luckier than everyone else.
Taking the proper approach ensures you make money. You have to know the betting strategies to use and how to use them. Spend some time doing research and sports analysis. Never allow anyone to associate your winnings with luck.
But, there’s a flip side to that, though. Never be too quick in blaming luck when you lose. It is easy to assume you are experiencing an unlucky losing streak, but it’s not always the case. Often, your losses are the results of bad decisions. Be honest with yourself, and do not blame your losing streak on bad luck since it won’t solve the problem.
Always ensure you are analyzing everything you do and consider making necessary adjustments.
You Have to Be a Math Genius
To be honest, betting on sports involves a lot of math. There are important numbers everywhere. By understanding how to manipulate numbers, you will have an easier time. Do you have to be a math genius? NO. That’s a complete myth. Despite their low mathematical inclination, many people make decent cash from betting on sports.
You will have to do some calculations – there is no getting away from that. But, these calculations are so basic and easy to do. You don’t have to worry if your strong point isn’t mathematics. That will not ruin your success chances when sports betting.
It is More Profitable to Bet on High Odds
We get why most people think this is true. Higher odds have higher potential payouts. But, the keyword here is “potential.” Let’s give you a betting scenario. Imagine you get a chance to bet on the first card from a new pack of playing cards.
We offer you these two possible wagers:
- $10 to win $200 if the card is seven diamonds.
- $10 to win $20 if the card is any other card.
Which of the two wagers will you go for here? You should select the second one. The first wager has a higher potential payout since the odd is high. But, there is a small chance of winning the wager. The payout is lower on the second wager, but you are more likely to win.
Do you know where we are going with this? Sports betting odds directly relate to your chances of winning a wager. The lower the odds, the higher the chances of winning, and vice versa is true. What matters is the odd’s value. You calculate the value by comparing the wager’s odds to the chances of winning. A wager has a positive value when its winning chances are higher than the odds. The understanding of value will make you be a successful bettor.
Rely on Progressive Betting Systems
This myth is very dangerous. Progressive betting systems never work, have flaws, and are ultimately useless. Avoid them completely if you do not want to go broke.
We are reluctant to dive into details about this because we could argue it is better not to know. But, we don’t want you researching more about it and getting bad advice. So, here we go.
Progressive betting systems involve adjusting your stakes based on your previous wager results. These are the main types:
- Negative progression systems
- Positive progression systems
You can raise your stake after a win and reduce it after losing for positive progression systems. For instance, you can go from $30 to $35 after a win or $30 to $25 after a loss. Here, you can make bigger profits on a winning streak and minimize your losses on a losing streak. Since we see the logic here, we understand that the systems are relatively harmless. The systems do not improve our chances of winning, but they will not cost us much either.
On the other hand, negative progression systems are very harmful. That’s so because they are opposite to positive progression systems. You will have to increase your stake after a loss and reduce it after winning. The theory behind it is that you can recover your money after a previous loss when you win.
The logic may seem okay, and that’s why the systems are very dangerous. It’s easy to say that by increasing your stake after a loss, you will finally make a profit since we all win eventually, right?
That’s true to some extent, though losing streaks might last for long. Continually increasing your stakes after a loss can get so high they become unaffordable. The whole system then breaks down.
