The online sports betting sphere continues to grow the world over and with more and more punters dipping their toes into the water, the global clamour to be involved within the sports betting industry continues to develop. Aside from the obvious appeal of sports betting, the overriding evolution within sports betting in recent years has been accessibility, with the online sports gambling industry fast becoming one of the biggest in the world.
Connectivity has had a huge impact on the way in which people now live their daily lives and the impact of that has certainly transcended into the world of sports betting. Gone are the days of having to gamble in-person at casinos or in bookmakers, with people now able to access every possible sporting market, at the touch of a few buttons.
One of the key developments within the growth of sports betting online has also been the worldwide appeal that the vocation now has. In the UK and Europe betting had long been a hugely popular pastime but the transition into the online sports betting world has seen areas such as the USA and Asia also get fully on board with sports betting. In addition, Aus sport betting has also grown exponentially too and with bookmakers now able to have a global approach to their sportsbooks, the industry is showing absolutely no sign of slowing.
Getting into the Betting World
Breaking into the world of sports betting however as a beginner can often be a very daunting task, as punters new to the world of sports and/or betting, can often be overwhelmed by the choice of markets on offer and a lack of understanding as to how sports bets work. Devising fool proof betting strategies is never easy, with the element of risk associated with sports betting always prevalent but there are ways in which punters can reduce the amount of risk they take when placing sports bets.
Here is a rundown of some of the most efficient sports betting strategies available to beginner gamblers:
Embrace the Rookie Betting Offers
Beginning on any sports betting odyssey is a step into the unknown for any punter but there are a whole host of sportsbooks and bookmakers on hand to make the initial sports betting experience for punters easier to digest.
The growth within the sports betting industry has led to more bookmakers than ever before looking to get involved within the marketplace and as a consequence, competition for custom is fierce, with each bookmaker looking to out-do the other, with offers and promotional activity.
Whilst there are a fair few promotions on the market available for existing sportsbook customers, most offers do tend to revolve around the new customer market, as every bookmaker looks to enhance the number of punters on their roster.
Sign-up offers are commonplace with every bookmaker, meaning a new punter can access plenty of special offers and free bets, just for creating an account and starting to bet with a certain sportsbook.
How each bookmaker goes about this changes from bookie to bookie, with many online platforms offering free bet tokens once an account is created, in effect, giving rookie punters free bet credits to spend – as a thank you for joining a particular bookmaker.
Sports betting of course is always volatile and whilst having free bet tokens is handy, it certainly doesn’t carry any guarantee of being successful or yielding a decent return.
Consequently, many bookmakers now opt for a risk-free first bet option for new customers, meaning once a player signs up with a sportsbook and places their first initial bet, should the bet lose, they get their stake back as part of the risk-free bet promotion.
Regardless of which type of promotional activity is being offered out by bookmakers, beginner gamblers should always look to utilise them as they present an opportunity for players to get used to a particular sportsbook and enable them to place a bet, safe in the knowledge they won’t be affected financially if it doesn’t come good.
Get to Know the Odds
One of the most daunting elements for rookie sports betting punters is getting to grips with how odds work in the context of a bookmaker. There are two main options out there for punters, fractional odds and decimal odds and whilst both ultimately return the same amounts of money, they read very differently, making it somewhat of a minefield for punters new to the game.
Fractional odds are traditionally used in the UK and Australia, where the amount that potentially can be won is located on the left hand side of the fraction, against the amount that needs to be staked to win it – on the right hand side of the fraction.
E.g., 4/1 – £4 won for every £1 staked, so should a bet come good it would yield £5 – £4 won + £1 staked = £5.
Decimal odds are more commonly seen in Europe and Asia, where the amount that potentially can be won is worked out to one decimal point, therefore excluding the initial amount staked from the odds shown.
E.g., 4.00 – £4 won for every £1 staked, so should a bet come good it would yield £5 – £4 won + £1 = £5 staked (even though the decimal odds don’t state the amount staked when displaying the odds).
Once any rookie gambler has a grip on the odds, sports betting inevitably becomes easier and whilst guaranteeing success simply cannot be done when it comes to sports betting, having a hold on how bets can be won and lost and the potential returns, is key.
Having an effective betting strategy in place is always helpful, regardless of one’s betting aspiration but for beginner gamblers, understanding exactly how sports betting odds work and accessing the promotional activity around sports betting, can be a great way to begin a successful and enjoyable sports betting journey.
In the end it’s worth saying that the bets you place are best done at the best and most reliable bookmakers. Look for bookmaker reviews, frequently asked questions and user reviews to get an idea of what a bookie is like in reality. All of these and more can be found at one place, at Match.Center, a website that analyses bookmakers and their operations.
