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Sports betting is a huge business globally, with plenty of sports fans choosing to make their favourite games more exciting by wagering on who will win. Historically, betting has been a contentious issue, with some countries legislating against betting altogether, but the arrival of the internet has forced many regions with archaic betting laws to re-evaluate them.
In New Zealand, for example, there were laws against gambling on almost anything until the 1908 Gambling Act was passed at the beginning of the 20th Century. This only allowed betting on specific events such as horse racing, however, and it wasn’t until the late 1990s that slots and lotteries were legalised.
In 2003, the government of New Zealand acknowledged that the proliferation of online gaming options made it unrealistic to take such a hard line on gambling online. While setting up an online gaming site based in New Zealand is still not allowed, those that want to have a bet on a sporting event can now do so online at one of the many , without fear of legal ramifications.
While it’s possible to bet on almost any sport if you find the right bookmakers, some are more popular than others, including:
Football
As the most popular sport in the world, both among players and spectators, football has long been the subject of significant speculation. While fans used to get the opportunity to bet on the eventual outcome of a match, with the football pools dominating the market for decades, this has all changed in recent years.
Now that games can be streamed live almost anywhere in the world, and fans can keep up to date with the action from anywhere they can get internet access, betting on football has become even more complex. In-game betting means that it’s now possible to bet on almost any aspect of the game, including:
- Yellow cards
- Goalscorers
- Penalties
- Corners
- Tackles by a player
- Number of times a player will be offside
- Free Kicks
- Goal kicks
- Throw-ins
If it happens in a football match and can be counted, then you can bet on it, and the global market for betting on football (or soccer, as it is known in parts of the world) runs to just on the European leagues alone.
American Football
Simply called ‘football’ in the US, the National Football League is one of the biggest sporting markets in the world as more than half of all bets placed in the US are on American football. The Super Bowl is the most popular single betting event of the global sporting calendar, attracting an estimated $16 billion in wagers from people all over the world.
Basketball
Although the market is very US-centric, the increasingly popular European basketball scene has had a significant impact on the overall visibility of the . Betting on basketball also has global appeal, especially for those that appreciate the fast pace and quick scoring that can be seen in most professional basketball matches.
As with any sport, there are a number of different bets on offer for those wanting to wager on basketball. These include ‘covering the spread’, which means that the team you bet on must win or lose by a pre-determined margin in order for the bet to pay out.
Punters can also ‘bet the money line’ which means simply betting on which team you think will win, regardless of the final score. You can also bet a ‘parlay’, combining several teams into a single bet in the hope that they will all cover their point spread.
Tennis
With major competitions happening all over the world, Tennis is another game with global appeal that attracts a lot of action around the peak of the season. There are more than 1,500 official tennis tournaments every year, providing plenty of opportunity for fans to place a few bets.
Wimbledon is one of the biggest international competitions, attracting the best players in the sport and spectators from all over the world. With more than a billion people tuning in to watch, some of the most exciting matches attract a lot of action.
When Andy Murray made it to the final of Wimbledon in 2012, the betting on the outcome of the match exceeded £50 million. Andy Murray has since been the subject of several from tennis fans in the UK and he has a significant global fan base as well.
Whatever your favourite sport, placing a bet can make it even more exciting to watch whether you’re at home or in the crowd. It’s a great way to leverage your knowledge of the game to bet on the most likely outcomes, and it can make any match more interesting when the outcome could see you win big.
Online Reporter