Most Popular Bet On Sports
Mar 07, 2023
- ⚽Football (Soccer): With its global popularity, football attracts the highest number of bets, contributing majorly to the sports betting market.
- 🏈 American Football: In the US, American football garners a massive amount of wagers annually, especially during events like the Super Bowl.
- 🎾 Tennis: Tennis ranks among the top sports for betting due to its predictability and the availability of numerous tournaments throughout the year.
Sports have always had a significant place in the gambling industry but with the rise of online casinos worldwide, the popularity of sports bets grew even more, occasioning an influx of a new breed of sports bettors. Today, sports betting has an estimated global market worth of over $3 trillion and makes for over 30% of the entire gambling industry, thus forming a substantial part of what is commonly referred to as the global sports betting market. Unsurprisingly, thanks to the amateur sports protection act, all online casinos want a piece of this huge market so each of them tries to come up with the best possible offers for players.
Certain sports are clear favorites among online gamblers for different reasons. With football being a popular sport, the amount of bets being placed on a sport usually correlates with the popularity it has among the general population but it's not necessarily the rule.
Bets on Football (Soccer)
Being the most watched sport in the world, football (soccer) is also the sport that generates not only the biggest number of bets but also the biggest profits for online gamblers. This puts it at a vantage position in the sports betting industry. With millions of people around the world watching football matches from different leagues every week, the top position this sport has when it comes to sports betting is not surprising.
Aside from placing a bet on who is going to win the match or if it's going to end in the draw and the exact score, sports betting hubs have added other options for the more passionate and knowledgeable punters. For example, they can also bet on the number of corner kicks, number of cards in the match, halftime results and goal scorers, etc. among many other elements that are innate to a money line sport.
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Based on some data, bets placed on football make up for around 70% of all legalized sports betting wagers. Being one of the most bet on sports, with millions of people around the world watching football matches from different leagues every week, it's no surprise that this sport commands the highest number of bets in the realm of sports betting.
In the UK alone, it is estimated that over £1 billion is wagered on football each year. Even in the USA, where they run the [national football league], football aka soccer’s popularity has gone up in the last several years and the American Soccer League (MLS) is attracting more attention from sports fans from many different corners of the world. If this trend continues, it is likely that football betting will increase even more.
American Football Betting
In the US, the most bets every year are placed on American football matches. Although gambling laws are not the same for every American state (actually in many states gambling is strictly forbidden), a crazy amount of money is spent annually on these games. The growing movement to legalize sports betting has contributed to the popularity of American football betting. A strong love for American football has spread across the globe in the last couple of decades and the bets are not coming from Americans only but from fans located all over the world.
And just like in football (soccer), punters have a great variety of American football leagues at their disposal, from college football to the NFL (national football league). Punters also have a chance to choose from different betting options which makes the whole process even more exciting and entertaining. The peak of the NFL wagering is certainly during the Super Bowl, a final NFL match where the winner of the championship is determined.
Tennis Bets
Believe it or not but tennis is in the top 5 sports people most frequently place bets on in the regulated sports betting market. Although many would say that some other sports have much bigger fan support worldwide (and they would be right), there are several reasons so many people flock towards tennis when it comes to sports betting.
The implementation of live/in-play betting as an option for placing tennis match predictions has significantly increased the gambling appeal of this sport in the international tennis federation. Live online betting makes it possible for punters to place bets for each set which elevates the gambling experience.
On the other hand, compared to the other sports, tennis results are reasonably predictable. For example, if one of the tennis greats like Novak Djokovic is playing against an underdog, there is a good chance he will win the match. Still, just like betting on any sport, tennis also requires a certain amount of knowledge about the game and players (who performs better on grass courts and who on clay, etc.).
Also, there are around 1,500 tennis tournaments each year aka tens of thousands of matches punters can place their bets on which solidifies the appeal of the sport in the gambling circles even more. All things considered, it makes absolute sense that tennis would generate such huge amounts of money every year.
Betting on Horse Racing
Once upon a time, horse racing has been the number 1 sport to place bets on, especially for those who fancy a national hunt racing event. Even today, horse racing is securely holding its position among top 5 sports punters most frequently wager on. It's estimated that every year $100 billion are spent each year betting on horse races.
With horse races taking place all over the world, especially during the world cup, punters can pretty much place bets 24/7. The biggest market is Japan while the UK and Australia are close 2nd and 3rd. Horse racing has been extremely popular in the US as well with grand events such as the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Grand National taking place each year and attracting punters in great numbers.
Cricket
Among the top 5 most popular sports people are betting on is cricket as well. The ICC (International Cricket Council) has over 100 member countries and each major event in this sport is watched by millions of fans from all over the world. So, it’s not surprising that the number of people betting on cricket is also huge.
Given the fact that there are no complicated rules, cricket is especially a good choice for casual gamblers. Also, punters can try their luck pretty much anytime they want with cricket matches happening all year round. Online casinos offer different types of cricket bets such as man of the match, best bowler, and highest player score so you can choose the one which suits you best based on your cricket expertise.