A beginner's guide to Online Sports Betting

Sports Betting, Sports Gambling, Sports Wagering, word it however you want, the bottom line is that it means betting on the result of a sporting event.

Why do people bet on sports? Many people all over the world bet on sports for two main reasons. Some like to place a sport bet on their favorite team each week or day to give themselves an added interest when they watch the game on television while others will try to use their knowledge of the game to earn a living as professional gamblers.

For most of us, we place our sport bet for fun, our own form of entertainment when we watch our favorite team take to the field or court. Without a doubt, it is much more enjoyable watching your team win when you have won a couple hundred Pounds or Euros by beating the bookies with your sports bet.

The most popular form of sports betting is football betting, whether it is NFL Football betting in the United States or real football betting on the world game, soccer betting is far and away the most popular form of sports betting. 

Sports that people enjoy placing a sports bet on include:

American Football (NFL)

NFL Football betting has always been popular amongst Americans but now with satellite television and the internet available to the majority, it is little wonder that more and more non-Americans have become accustomed to betting on Gridiron.

The NFL is made up of two divisions with the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). 32 teams make up the NFL with 16 in each of the conferences. Only six teams from each conference can reach the playoffs at the end of the 16 game regular season with their regular season record determining which teams will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The winners of each Conference Championship game will then get to playoff in the Super Bowl.  The 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa Bay will be the 43rd Super Bowl to be played. 

• Did you know that NFL Football Betting odds are already available for Super Bowl XLIII?

 Learn more about American Football by visiting our NFL Football Betting section.

Australian Rules Football

This fast moving game is growing in popularity for sportsbetting enthusiasts who are able to get some terrific value with their AFL Football betting selections.

AFL Football betting is available on all regular season AFL matches along with the AFL Finals and even the preseason competition.

The AFL competition is made up of 16 teams who play 22 matches during the home and away rounds. The top 8 teams at the end of the season will then play in the finals in what is ultimately a knockout event each week until there are only two teams left. The last two teams standing will meet in the Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in September where a crowd of more than 100,000 screaming Aussies will greet them.  

• Did you know that AFL Football Betting lets you bet on a team to win a Wooden Spoon?

You can learn more about the different bet types available on this game from the land Down Under by visiting out Australian Rules Football Betting section.

Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) is one of the most popular sports to bet on with games being played almost every day of the week throughout a 162 game regular season. In some cases, teams are scheduled to play both a day and night game.

There are 30 professional baseball teams that make up the two conferences in MLB with 14 teams in the American League and 16 teams in the National League.

The best eight teams take part in the playoffs with the three divisional champions of each league taking their place alongside the best wild card (best second placed teams) team in their division. The American League champions will then take one the National League champions in a best of seven World Series decider. 

• Did you know that the American League and the National League have different rules when it comes to the designated hitter?

You can learn about the different baseball bet types available when betting on baseball by visiting our MLB Baseball Betting section.

NBA Basketball

The NBA marketing arm along with growing television exposure has made Basketball one of the world’s fastest growing sports. This has also helped betting on basketball quickly become one of the most popular forms of sports gambling amongst punters.

Like the other American professional sport leagues, the NBA is made up of two conferences. There are 30 teams that make up the NBA with the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference each comprising of 15 teams.

Each of the divisional winners and the best ranked second placed team in that conference make up the eight combatants that will take their place in the NBA playoffs.  The NBA finals comprise of a knockout best of seven series with home court advantage for the team with the best regular season record.

Betting on Basketball isn’t restricted to just the NBA with basketball betting on European leagues also popular with punters who enjoy taking every opportunity to make money with their sports betting picks.  

• Did you know that the Boston Celtics are the most successful NBA team with 15 championships?

Visit our NBA Basketball Betting section to learn about the different basketball bet types available for sports betting enthusiasts.

Boxing

Sports betting on boxing is always popular when there is a big drawing fight announced.  This sport between two combatants has seen many punters invest heavily on their favorite boxer.

Boxing doesn’t always get the most favorable of press with many calling this pugilistic sport barbaric.  However, it is a sport that still draws prime time television viewers on subscription television around the world and the crowds continue to flock to these events while punters enjoy placing a Boxing sports bet on who they think will be the better man.

Probably the best example of this in recent years was the Ricky Hatton v Kosta Tszyu WBC & IBF Light Welterweight bout at Manchester's MEN Arena, which saw punters deliver their own knockout blow to bookmakers with a hometown victory to Hatton 

• Did you know that you could bet on Boxing during the fight with live betting offered by online bookmakers?

 Visit our boxing section to learn about the different Boxing bet types available for sports betting enthusiasts.

Cricket

The world of Cricket is changing daily it seems with the Advent of Twnety20 cricket now making cricket betting even more popular if that’s at all possible.

Betting on Test Match Cricket still offers some terrific value for those who enjoy the five-day contests but for most punters we enjoy the shorter version of the game with our winning sport bets paid out on the same day or night that we place our wager.

Now, the advent of Twenty20 cricket with the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was created by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) the sports betting public, can get their cricket betting fix with the inaugural 2008 Twenty20 tournament consisting of 56 matches in just 44 days.

Cricket betting is big business with bookmakers and there is plenty of value to be found for those who enjoy live cricket betting with odds changing with every ball bowled. 

• Did you know that the global broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League cost US$1.026 billion for 10 years?

Visit our cricket betting section to learn about the different Cricket betting options available on the different forms of cricket played.

Cycling

The Tour De France dominates the world of cycling. This 23-day, 21-stage road race has made headlines in recent years for all the wrong reasons but the fact remains that betting on the winner or winning team of the Tour De France is one of the most popular betting propositions for cycling fans.

The Tour De France was first run in 1903 and is one of three major European Cycling races. The other two major road races include the Tour of Italy and the Tour of Spain, but it is the Tour De France that is the most well known of the three around the globe.

Betting on cycling is not limited to the European road race tours. You can also place sport bets on cycling when the summer Olympics are being held or even little known tours such as the Tour Down Under held in Adelaide, South Australia.. 

• Did you know that the final stage of the Tour De France finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris?

Visit our Cycling Betting section to learn about the different Cycling bet types available.

Golf

The PGA tour is played almost every week of the year and gives golf fans the opportunity to get some great betting odds on their favourite golfer.

Unfortunately, with Tiger Woods in a field the chances of getting a winning sports bet do diminish but should the world’s number one golfer not win the event you are sure to be counting the cash if you can find the winner.

Woods is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour in 2008 winning three times to the end of April. There are still three Majors to go with the U.S Open Championship in June, the Open Championship in Great Britain in July and the PGA Championship in August.

The PGA Tour is not the only golf betting market available to punters with the European Tour, The Champions Tour (for the over 50 golfers) and the LPGA Tour giving golf fans plenty of opportunities each week to cash in on their favourite players. 

• Did you know that only the top 125 players on the PGA Tour money list get to retain their PGA Tour cards?

Visit the golf betting section to learn about the different Golf betting options available for you next sports bet.

Ice Hockey

The National Hockey League (NHL) is an exciting and brutal sport that has some of the most passionate fans in the world. Betting on Ice Hockey has never been more popular with 30 teams making up NHL.

NHL Betting is available on each and ever game of the regular season that will see your favourite teams try to win the Stanley Cup.

The NHL is made up of two conferences of 15 teams, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The teams play an 82 game season with divisional winners and the three divisional winners and the next five best ranked teams take part in the conference playoffs.

With so many of Europe’s best players now heading to the NHL, the betting on ice hockey has become even more popular on the continent.   

• Did you know that the Montreal Canadiens are the most successful NHL franchise with 24 Stanley Cup wins?

Visit the NHL Betting section to learn about the many different Ice Hockey Betting options available for sports betting fans of this all action game.

Motor Racing

The world of motor sport gives petrol heads the chance to invest their hard earned on their favourite car manufacturers or drivers. There really are a wide variety of sports betting odds that cover all the different motor sports around the world.

The U.S has the Indy cars and NASCAR for sports betting fans that like to bet on car racing. The rest of the world concentrates their motor sport bets on Formula One racing and Touring Cars while the motorbike lovers aren’t forgotten with sports betting available on the highly competitive MotoGP races and the SuperBikes.

Motor Racing is truly an amazing sport with speed and adrenalin a massive rush for both those that race and those who like to spectate. 

• Did you know that F1 Racing is the world’s most expensive sport?

Visit the Motor Racing section to learn more about the different Motor Racing Sports and the bet types offered on motor racing.

Rugby League

Betting on Rugby League can be a lucrative sport betting option for many punters.  There are several Rugby League competitions around the world, most notably in the UK and Australia.

The Australian National Rugby League (NRL) is a 16-team competition with 15 Australian based teams and one New Zealand based franchise.  NRL betting is available throughout the regular home and away season and the NRL finals when the top 8 teams battle it out for supremacy.

Rugby League betting is also available on the State Of Origin Series in Australia where Queensland and New South Wales go head to head in a best of three series.  This is always a very patriotic annual event that often pits club teammates against one another as they represent their state.

Rugby League betting isn’t restricted to Australia with UK Rugby league betting covered of the Super League, Rugby World Cup betting and International matches are also catered for by online bookmakers. 

• Did you know that each year the Southern Hemisphere NRL champions play the Northern Hemisphere European Super League champions in the World Club Challenge?

Visit our nrl betting section to learn more about the different available bet types offered by the best online bookmakers.

Rugby Union

The game of Rugby Union is played all over the world and rugby Union World Cup betting is always a popular sport bet for punters who can make some serious money betting on the fancied teams in the early rounds.

The major Rugby Union competitions outside the world cup are the Six Nations Tournament in Europe, which is contested by England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy.

The Southern Hemisphere has a Rugby Union betting on the International Tri Nation series, which is contested between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The Super 14’s competition in the Southern Hemisphere is the most popular betting proposition for Rugby Union sports betting enthusiasts with some high quality Rugby being played amongst the combatants.

The Super 14’s competition has been dominated by the New Zealand based teams who have won 9 of a possible 12 titles.  

• Did you know that Hollywood actor Matt Damon played Rugby Union when he attended Harvard University?

Visit our rugby union betting section to learn more about the different Rugby bet types available online.

Soccer

Football or Soccer as it is known is some countries is the world game and it is without question the most popular sports bet amongst gamblers all over the world. Soccer betting is available on matches played in ever country around the globe.

Big sport bets are not made just on matches involving the major European leagues such as England, Italy, Spain and Germany but also on leagues such as in France, Portugal, Croatia, Belgium the Netherlands and even on MLS in the United States.

One of the reasons that football betting is so popular amongst many gamblers is the terrific value one can get when having a bet on the football. The football odds seem inflated when compared to other sport bets but this is because the draw in soccer is a real possibility.

There are just so many matches to bet on it really is a punters delight if they know their Football.   

• Did you know that more than 190 countries attempt to qualify for the World Cup every four years?

 You can visit our soccer betting section to learn about the different bet types that Soccer Betting enthusiasts enjoy when betting on sports online.

Tennis

The popularity of Tennis betting is growing by the day with many punters taking sport bets on daily matches.  The great advantage of Tennis Betting is that you have some great stats available to help you pick winners.

With the professionalism of the modern game with sponsorship and huge prizemoney available to players the promotion of the game has never been greater. The Men’s ATP tour website and the Women’s WTA Tour website offer the punter a host of stats and figures from head to head records, their previous tournament history and even their career results.

This is a great tool to help you make an informed decision with your Tennis Sport bet and it is one of the main reasons why Tennis Betting is so popular amongst gamblers.

The major betting tournaments in the world of Tennis are the four Grand Slam events, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S Open where betting is available on the world’s best players.

More often than not, the seeded players will continue to win throughout the tournament giving the gambler every chance to win money.  

• Did you know that when Rafael Nadal won his fourth consecutive Monte Carlo Open that it was his 98th victory on clay from his past 99 matches?

Visit our grand slam tennis betting section to learn more about betting on Tennis matches.

See the 2008 French Open Tennis Betting Preview

See our 2008 Wimbledon Tennis Betting Preview

What is a Sportsbook?

A sportsbook allows individuals who want to place bets on various sporting events the opportunity to do so. The sports involved include golf, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, boxing, and horse racing.

There are many ways to bet on a sporting event through a sportsbook. You can choose to do it online, at a regular Casino, or through a bookie. There are approximately 150 licensed sportsbooks in the United States. However, there are thousands more that take place under the control of a business that is not legal and that does not have the proper licensing. The United Kingdom also participates in sportsbook activities. The more publicized and hyped a sporting event is, the more sportsbook options a person will find prior to that event.

Generally, you will be given the odds of your team winning prior to placing your bet. The lower the odds of your team winning the sporting event, the higher the payoff will be. Your payoff will be based on the odds and the amount of money you placed on that event. Internet sportsbook transactions are the most common, with more taking place than all of Las Vegas. However, you will need to be careful that the online sportsbook is legitimate prior to placing a bet on that particular site.

The odds for these sporting events are determined by a group of consultants. They determine the odds based on a variety of factors including the teams overall history, team injuries, the weather, and the game location. Combining all of these factors, they determine the odds of who will win a particular sporting event. These consultants are well trained in their field, yet major upsets have been known to happen, resulting in some very large payouts.

Sportsbook participation is a fun way to bet on your favorite sports teams, especially during those very important games. It is a gambling endeavor that may cost you the money you bet on the game or result in you winning your money back plus some additional. The amount you will win will vary, but what better way to celebrate your team winning the game than with a few extra dollars to fold in your pocket.