Sports betting can become very lucrative for the select few that are able to crack the code of the thrilling endeavor. Sports betting is also becoming ever more popular in mainstream society.
Across the United States, the list of states with legalized sports betting is proliferating. That’s one reason now is the perfect time to get into the game and launch your sports betting career.
Here are the top 10 sports you should invest your time in now to pay dividends later.
1 – Boxing
Boxing has been one of the tops draws for Las Vegas and Atlantic sports bettors for decades. In many ways, boxing brought sports betting into the limelight.
The stars of the sport, like Frazier and Ali, had the sportsbooks packed with hopeful punters. The tradition continued when Mike Tyson was unfurling haymakers on opponents in the 80s and 90s.
Tyson’s bouts with heavy hitters like Holyfield and Foreman are legendary. Of course, there was easy money to be had when he regularly beat lesser-known opponents to a pulp.
Now, there’s a new Tyson taking the boxing world by storm. Tyson Fury is possibly the most entertaining athlete since the great Ali.
The heavyweight’s first name is no coincidence either. His father was a bare-knuckle champion that named his son after Iron Mike.
Boxing is stacked with talent from top to bottom, and getting on board now could make you a solid profit in the future.
2 – Football
The NFL is immensely popular with sports bettors. In fact, the NFL season accounts for a considerable chunk of the casino sportsbook’s revenue.
Americans love their football, and between the NFL and college games, there’s zero shortage of games to bet on during the season.
The NFL off-season is the perfect time to delve into your sports betting lifestyle. The latest trade news and the NFL Draft shape how teams will perform for years to come.
It’s critical that you pay the utmost attention to how the teams shape up for the upcoming season.
One player may not be enough to send any team to an NCAA CFB Championship or the Super Bowl. However, you want to avoid these games where lines tighten up anyway.
Making an essential addition could send a program into an unfamiliar territory where you’ll find highly favorable lines.
Conversely, a team that loses a star player may head in the other direction. That doesn’t mean that they’ll fall out of favor with the public.
Look for value when the line is heavily tilted, and you can start breaking the system for a profit.
3 – Esports
Esports is one of the total new kids on the sports betting scene. Currently, only the largest competitions are receiving national coverage.
Your biggest hurdle in betting on esports may well be finding a sportsbook to take action. Still, you’ll be getting in on the ground floor of one of the most amazing potentials in sports betting.
The last year has been an excellent platform for esports to truly shine. It’s shown up big and made a name for itself.
Still, the discipline faces an uphill climb if it wants to become a sports betting staple.
Esports seems to have the full support of many of the biggest names in sports. Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, and LeBron James all have a vested interest in esports franchises.
4 – Golf
Golf is one of the greatest sports to bet on for avid fans. You get such great odds on any player as an outright winner that there’s money to be made by spreading your bankroll across several different players.
We Can Thank Tiger Woods for the Mammoth Surge in Golf’s Popularity
Woods came along and revolutionized the game of golf. We no longer consume the game in the same way. The purses have grown exponentially, and golf is more diverse than any time in history.
There’s a new breed of golfers on the horizon. Bryson DeChambeau is trying in his own words to “break golf.”
His innovative and unique style is at the very least incredibly interesting and makes for great entertainment. However, the tried and true pros are all standing between him and greatness.
Golf is due for another surge, and it’ll put you in a much better position to do your research now. Don’t sleep on golf as an excellent opportunity to increase your sports betting bankroll.
5 – Tennis
Tennis is a great entry point to the world of sports betting for many reasons. The game is entertaining to watch and relatively easy to follow.
Keep in Mind:
The star power at the top is what makes tennis so friendly to beginner sports bettors. You have only a handful of players atop the men’s and women’s pro ranks.
This small group is a pack of legitimate contenders for many of the top tournaments. Which takes care of a majority of the work for you.
By focusing on the heavy favorites, you’ll be more inclined to spot trends in their game. Unfortunately, the lopsided competition can make for tight lines where you’ll have slim profit margins.
6 – Soccer
Soccer, or football as it’s know in the rest of the planet, is the world’s largest sport. Throughout most of Europe, soccer is far and away from the top pick in the sportsbooks.
Soccer is an exceptional pick for sports bettors because there are games daily all year round.
Soccer fans are also highly vested in their teams. So, the spectacle of it all helps soccer add an element of excitement lost on many other sports.
Soccer does have a fatal flaw; the scoring tends to be extremely low. It’s not at all uncommon to find games ending 1-0 or in an outright tie.
This may present an issue for the novice soccer fan, but your research will be your best friend as with anything. Soccer can make for a fantastic sports betting journey for anyone.
7 – Basketball
The NBA basketball season is full of games. These games come so frequently that you’ll often find some fantastic values as the sportsbooks fight to keep pace with the betting public.
You’ll need to pay close attention, though. NBA teams have a tendency to sit star players frequently.
If a coach sits the star players last minute, it could present a lopsided spread. Which side of this equation you are on could dramatically impact the final results.
The NCAA basketball season also has games nightly. The season ends with the NCAA Tournament: March Madness.
This event packs all of the exciting basketball action anyone could hope for, and the sportsbooks across the country are filled with exciting gamblers.
8 – NASCAR
NASCAR has a wide variety of ways to bet. It also has a tremendous amount of fuel-burning action for spectators.
Bettors can choose between betting on race winners, lap leaders, and even head-to-head matchups. NASCAR has shown time and time that it’s on the cutting edge of innovation and technology.
That forward-facing approach to the growth of their sport will no doubt translate to sports betting. You shouldn’t be surprised if you find that you’re able to place live-in race bets at the tracks.
That may be many years off, but if you start preparing now, you’ll be primed to launch into NASCAR as a sports betting expert.
9 – Baseball
The baseball season is a grueling marathon of 162 games. Such a long season will help you focus on only one sport for much of the year.
When you only focus on one sport over a long period, you become more apt to spot trends and opportunities.
Cashing in on these spots will lead to a pretty nice profit throughout 162 games.
I’ve found that when a sports bettor focuses on only a single team, it works out in the bettor’s best interest. You’ll have a tendency to become attuned to how the team is feeling.
Whether the pitching rotation is fresh, they came off a game that went extremely late the previous night. Their spark plug utility player being on the injured reserve will impact a team’s output.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to know a little information about every team. Instead, learn everything you can about a single team.
Please, make it a team other than your favorite team. Sports fans make lousy sports bettors. You’re in this to make money; behave accordingly.
That means thinking with your head and not your heart.
10 – Disc Golf
Disc golf is on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream. 2020 was a significant year for disc golf.
The sport grew exponentially and also got its first million-dollar athlete. Paul McBeth is the 5-time World Champion that will be getting $10 Million over the next 10 years.
That’s right, someone is being paid over $1,000,000 to play frisbee while the rest of us work for a living.
All jokes aside, the top pros are athletes. Many are former collegiate athletes that found their passion in the game.
ESPN has also begun covering the sport, and the Dynamic Discs Open aired on ESPN 2 during primetime.
It may be years before we see disc golf on the board in the Las Vegas sportsbooks, but the time is coming.
Conclusion
The top 10 sports you should invest your time in now to pay dividends later will give you specific areas to focus on and become an expert.
While some of the sports are at the pinnacle of popularity, others will give you a unique position to be ready when they launch towards the top.
Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. …
