Sports betting is now more popular than it has ever been at any point in history. Why the sudden surge in gambling? There are many factors behind why sports betting continues to grow in popularity. One of the main reasons is the growth of online betting, which brings bookies and casinos to the people. Taking away the need to walk into a sportsbook in Vegas or London, facing the intimidating atmosphere and the threat of doing the wrong thing has paved the way for many new bettors to learn how to bet.
The leading betting apps allow registered members to gamble on NFL, Premier League, horse racing, NBA and boxing at the touch of a button. Use a desktop computer to wager on the live match from the comfort of your home or enjoy a quick flutter on the next horse race due off when on the move, thanks to a user-friendly betting app downloaded to your smartphone. Bettors are now in charge of when they bet, where they bet and what they bet on. The customer is finally king, and it’s a great time to be a sports bettor.
The majority of bets made on sports shown live on television are done before the start of play. This could be kickoff in a football match or serve in a tennis game. Bettors love to make their predictions and get their stake money down early, grabbing the best possible price but taking on a fair share of risk into the bargain.
Another way to bet
There’s another way to bet, a way that is often overlooked but at the expense of the player. In-play or live betting is a feature that is being enjoyed by professional and profitable gamblers, but it is open to all. What is in-play betting? To put it as simple as possible, in-play betting is the act of gambling on a sporting event that has already begun—a soccer match 15 minutes old or a football match in the final quarter. Sports bets can be made before the start or at any time during the action. The match is always moving, always evolving, and it is always available to place bets on.
A bet is as exciting in the final few minutes of play as it was before kickoff. There are a few main differences and a few ways in which you can use live betting to improve your chances of backing a winner. Let’s look at pre-match betting in a bit more detail before turning our attention to the benefits of in-play betting.
When betting pre-match, you are second-guessing several key elements of a game. Not only are you making predictions on the winner, final score, first goalscorer, handicap or total points. You are predicting what mood the referee will be in, what impact the crowd will have on the players if there will be an early sending off, what part the weather will play and even which members of the squad the manager will start with.
That is a lot of guessing, and to an online sports bettor, the more you are guessing at, the less you know and the higher the risk to your stake money. To normal bettors, it may be worth it for the high returns, but to professional backers, the reward must be greater than the risk and with so many uncertainties, that often isn’t the case. The reward could only out-weight the risk if there was a big price on the line.
Bide your time and increase your chances
In-play betting is different. It removes many of the risks mentioned above. Bide your time, and you increase your chances of beating the bookies. With betting in-play, you are gambling on a match that has already begun. Therefore, you know the weather, how the teams have lined up, the mood of the referee if the crowd is being supportive or critical, any early bookings or sending offs.
In short, you have more solid information available to you, and that helps you make a more solid prediction. Watch the action live and follow the play while keeping an eye on the in-play betting odds. Look for hints and tips on how a game is going, then act quickly, placing your bets at the right time to get the best odds.
