What Sports Can I Make A Wager On Online?

Online sports betting has become one of the most profitable areas of expansion for the gambling industry. Sports betting is the gambling act of placing a money wager with an operator that takes sports betting action in order to win money. Within just the last decade, the usage of online sportsbooks has completely overtaken the sports betting market share from brick-and-mortar options.

Starting August 6th 2018, online sportsbook operator, DraftKings became the first online sportsbook not located in Nevada. The state of New Jersey was the first to take bets over the internet, with many other states following suit in the years after. With the number of legal sportsbooks in the United States, there is almost no limit to the number of sports you can wager on.

The number of sports you can bet on online will make your head spin. From the most popular in the National Football League all the way to The Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, there is not a day that goes by where you wouldn’t be able to wager on some sporting event.

In the United States, there are three major sports that are also the top sports to bet on in the country. Let’s dive into each sport to see how sports betting works for that particular sport.

Major League Baseball

Betting on the MLB is unique compared to other sports because the majority of wagers are done through the Moneyline. While there are some bettors that take their action to the spread (also called the Run Line when betting on baseball), most experienced gamblers stay away.

With the season being so long, there is the opportunity to really be able to make some money once you understand the game a bit better. Altogether there are 2,430 games during the season, and that doesn’t even include the post-season. 

The good and bad thing about betting on the MLB is that there is a lot of unpredictability. Baseball is really the only game where the underdog could very well win at any point.

For example, even the best teams in the MLB lose 60 or more games every year. In regards to betting, that’s a heavy chunk of games where the underdog is able to upset the favorite. This means that you would be able to consistently bet on the underdog and should be able to leave the season with a profit.

National Basketball Association

The NBA may be the one sport where betting on the post-season may be easier than betting during the regular season. The main reason behind this is that the effort that teams bring to the floor may vary for a plethora of reasons.

Load management is a fairly new concept in the NBA, meaning that the better players get rest, which will affect how you place your bets. The main way to find success when betting on the NBA is to follow the league closely as well as staying on top of team trends. 

Learning how coaches use players in certain situations can be absolutely beneficial to your NBA online betting success. For example, say a top-tier team is playing a bottom-of-the-league team when the top-tier team is already guaranteed a playoff spot.

Without any prior knowledge of the top-tier team, you’re in a predicament. They may start their stars to get a better seed in the playoffs, or they might want to rest their stars for the playoffs. If you know how a coach uses his players in situations like these, you’ll be able to stay ahead of the sportsbooks.

National Football League

The most popular sport for both viewership and total betting volume, the NFL is king in the United States. Beyond traditional sports betting, there is now Daily Fantasy Sports and numerous other ways to try and win money off of football. Because of its popularity, the oddsmakers at top online sportsbooks ensure that the NFL is the hardest league to win money off of.

This is why, NFL betting is primarily considered to many sports bettors as entertainment value. NFL betting is also the top sport when it comes to betting a parlay which is an absolute no-no for experienced sports bettors. 

The main difficulty for betting on the NFL comes from the limited number of games during the season. There are 15-16 games a week, and every game is meaningful. With each piece of news that comes out, the oddsmakers are on top of it to adjust a game’s line one way or the other.

Unlike the MLB, the sportsbooks have their finger on the pulse of the NFL, which means that their odds are as sharp as they come compared to every other top sports league.

Top Sports Betting Operators

For legal online sports betting operators, the majority offer the top sports that we just mentioned. Because of this, it’s always important to look at the odds provided at each sportsbook as well as the different promotions and offers they have for new and existing players.

With that being said, below are some of the most popular online sportsbooks in the country.

FanDuel Sportsbook

One of the premier names in online sportsbooks, FanDuel Sportsbook has constantly boosted odds for all of the top sports in the country. They currently list 18 sports on their site. Keep in mind that these are just the sports that are listed, with each sport usually having a handful of leagues within them. When it comes to sport betting options, FanDuel is usually a safe bet. Speaking of a safe bet, FanDuel is currently offering new players a “No Sweat First Bet” of up to $1,000 for the NFL season.

DraftKings Sportsbook

When mentioning FanDuel Sportsbook, it’s hard not to mention DraftKings Sportsbook in the same breath. The two have been the top online sportsbooks for the past few years now, and it’s no surprise as to why. DraftKings keeps new and current players happy with numerous promotions as well as 20 different sports listed on their site. And for new customers, they are currently offering $200 in risk-free bets if you win your first Moneyline bet of $5 or more.

Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars Sportsbook is one of the older names out of the online sportsbook crowd but still a fan favorite nonetheless. With 20 different sports at your fingertips as well as a top-of-the-line live betting section, Caesars Sportsbook knows how to keep new and current players happy. Caesars Sportsbook is also the only sportsbook where you can wager on the World Series of Poker. And for new players, you will receive 1,000 Reward Credits, 1,000 Tier Credits, and a risk-free wager of up to $1,250. 

What Next?

Now that you are equipped with top-tier knowledge of what sports are available to bet on in the United States, you are ready to put some money down. Be sure to check out the aforementioned online sportsbooks to get the best bang for your buck if you happen to be a first-time player there.

One thing of note before you dive in, make sure you stick to one sport and specialize specifically in that sport. This is how all the top sports bettors started out, with a specialization in one sport and making their money that way.