According to a survey conducted last summer, about 33 million American adults said that they planned on betting on NFL games during the 2020-21 season. That number represents roughly 13% of people.
It’s very clear that sports betting is on the rise in this country, especially now that it’s been legalized in many states. And it certainly appears as though it’s only a matter of time before almost everyone in the U.S. is betting on sports in some form or fashion.
Want to get in on it? Before you do, you should learn how to gamble on sports. Whether you’re planning to bet on NFL games, NBA matchups, MLS matches, or something else, you should be aware of how to bet on sports prior to actually doing it.
Here is a sports gambling guide that will help you throw your hat into the ring. As long as you follow these tips, you shouldn’t have any issues getting in on the action and winning some money in the process.
Start by Finding a Reputable Sportsbook
It used to be very difficult for those interested in betting on sports to find a place to make their sports bets. Sports gambling was illegal in most places up until a few years ago, which made placing sports bets a huge challenge for most people.
But these days, sports betting has been legalized in a handful of states. As a result, it’s getting easier and easier for people to track down sportsbooks willing to take their bets.
If you’re going to be betting on sports, it’s important for you to find a reputable sportsbook in your state that can take your bets. You should look for one that has a wealth of experience in the industry. You should also look for one that’s going to set you up with sign-up bonuses that will help you get your feet wet in the world of sports gambling.
You shouldn’t worry too much about how to gamble on sports prior to finding a sportsbook. That’s going to be your No. 1 goal at the beginning of the process.
Come Up With a Betting Bankroll and Deposit It Into Your Sportsbook Account
Once you’ve picked out a sportsbook that you’re going to use for sports betting, the next thing you’re going to want to do is deposit money into the account that you create. This is going to call for you to come up with a betting bankroll.
Your betting bankroll is obviously going to be the money that you use to place bets on sports. It should be an amount of money that you feel comfortable losing just in case things don’t go your way with your initial sports bets.
It should also be an amount of money that you can chop up so that you’re able to make smaller sports bets at the start. You don’t ever want to put your entire betting bankroll onto a single game since that’s a surefire way to blow through your bankroll in no time at all.
Decide Which Sports You Want to Wager On
After you have a sportsbook account all set up and deposit money to use on sports betting, you should think about which sports you’re going to want to wager on.
As we alluded to earlier, betting on NFL games has turned into a very popular practice in the U.S. This should come as no surprise seeing as how football is the most popular sport in the country.
But you don’t necessarily have to bet exclusively on NFL games. You can also bet on basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, golf, and almost any other sporting event that you want. There are even opportunities to bet on sports like rugby that are played in other countries.
Ideally, you want to bet on sports that you know a lot about since it’ll give you a slight advantage over other people who might not know as much about them. The more that you know about a particular sport, the better you’re going to be at betting on it.
Check Out the Different Types of Bets You Can Place on Sporting Events
If you’ve never placed a bet on sports, you might be under the impression that all sports betting involves betting on one team to beat another team. But this is not the case!
While you can make these kinds of bets—they’re often referred to as “moneyline” bets—there are also tons of other types of bets that you can place. Some of the most common types of bets include:
- Point spread bets
- Parlay bets
- Teaser bets
- Round robin bets
- Live bets
One of the great parts about sports betting is that you can learn how to gamble on sports in lots of different ways over time. You’re never going to get bored with your betting options.
Make Sure You Do Your Homework Before Betting on Sports
When you first start betting on sports, you might be tempted to randomly pick games that you want to bet on and guess which teams you think are going to help you win your bets. This is a terrible approach to take!
Rather than guessing which teams can help you win bets, you should dig a little bit deeper and do your homework on different games before deciding what to bet on. Although there aren’t any guarantees in sports, you can increase your chances of walking away a winner at a sportsbook by putting some time into researching your picks when betting on sports.
Consider Turning to the Sports Betting Experts for Help
Don’t have the time to devote to doing a ton of research for sports betting purposes? This is a big part of the reason why many casual sports bettors end up making random picks when gambling on sports.
Fortunately, there is a way to get around this. Instead of doing a bunch of research yourself, you can rely on sports betting experts to do it for you. There are many experts who have built businesses around researching sports betting and finding the bets that offer the most value.
You should consider signing up for the services that these experts offer. They can provide you with expert picks as well as additional info on sports betting.
Steer Clear of Chasing Your Losses When Gambling on Sports
Regardless of how much research you might do on sports bets or how many experts you might turn to for help, there are going to be times when you just can’t seem to win sports bets. You’ll make ten sports bets in a row and lose every single one of them.
When this happens, it’s tempting to try and “chase your losses” by increasing the amount of money that you’re betting on games to try and build your bankroll back up. Some people will convince themselves they’re “due for a win” and up the amount of money they gamble with to try and get back the money they’ve lost.
As you can probably imagine, this is almost never a good idea. It often results in people losing even more money and digging themselves into a huge hole that they then struggle to get out of.
You should avoid chasing your losses at all costs when you begin gambling on sports. If you find yourself on a cold streak, consider taking a few days, weeks, or even months off so that you can get over it and get back to gambling on sports and winning.
Remember That Sports Betting Is Supposed to Be Enjoyable
Betting on sports is something that’s supposed to add some joy to your life. It’s not something that should make you feel stressed out and miserable.
If you ever find that sports gambling is hindering your ability to be happy, you should stop betting on sports right away. It’s easy for some people to get addicted to betting on sports, which can bring their mood down and make life harder than it has to be for them.
You should be using sports betting to blow off some steam and to have a good time. If it turns into anything more than that, you may want to take a break from sports betting or even work to quit gambling on sports altogether. It’ll work wonders for your mental health and help you put your life back into the proper perspective.
Learning How to Gamble on Sports Prior to Getting Started Is Important
There are some people who dive headfirst into sports gambling without learning anything about it first. These people usually end up losing their betting bankrolls in a hurry and don’t have very much fun doing it.
You should avoid finding yourself in this position by learning how to gamble on sports prior to placing a single sports bet. You’ll increase your chances of having a great time and winning lots of money when you take this approach to sports betting.
Check out the rest of our blog for more articles on sports and sports betting.
