Sports betting has become one of the biggest revenue markets in the betting industry. Across different countries and different continents, the numbers differ, however, the one similarity is that all countries are experiencing a steady – if not rapid – increase. On the African continent, the sports betting industry is said to be worth over $3 billion by the end of 2025. In the USA, this is said to be over $18 billion in 2025 and in Australia, it’s just over $7 billion. It is clear that every region has a different value but all have experienced steady increases over the past years.
Since the sports betting industry is as in-demand as ever, it might be useful for those who are interested in this market for engagement or purely for entertainment to understand how to first approach sports betting. This article aims to serve as a beginner’s guide to understanding sports betting across various sports.
Find A Reliable Betting Platform
The very first thing that you need to do if you want to understand sports betting and approach it with safety is to find a reliable platform. Many believe it’s the sport that comes front and centre, however, this is not the case. Before you can even think about the sport, you must first ensure that you’re betting on a safe and secure platform.
You should find one by looking at the sites out there that are authorities in their field, have a strong reputation and are easy to access. A site that has been around a long time, has ample experience and offers the latest developments is the key here. By performing a betway app download, you get to access all of the above-mentioned points, as they’re an authority in the field and with their app download, you’re able to engage whilst on the go, which suits the fast-paced lifestyle of this modern age.
Do Your Team or Player Research
Now that you have the safe and reliable platform behind you, you can move on to the team and player research. You should first pick the sport you want to bet on. Although there are many different sports you can engage with, it’s best to keep it at one, especially to start, as it allows you to sink deeper into the content and not get confused with different jargon and rules across different sports.
Once you have the sport on lockdown, you have to look into the players and the team you want to bet on. This is where serious research comes into play, as you need to know the ins and outs of what is happening in the team so that you can make informed bets. This doesn’t just mean knowing the probabilities of a win or a loss, you have to know every movement – if a coach isn’t getting along with a player and puts them on the sidelines, if a star player recently suffered an injury and won’t be able to participate in a big league game or if there is a trade rumour happening in the team. You need to know all of this so that you can stay at the forefront of information.
You might think this a little ‘silly’, however, you even need to go a step further and research the weather reports and if a team does better at an at-home game or an away game. All of this will impact how the team plays, which will impact your bet, so best be on top of these changes.
Learn the Sports Betting Jargon
Seeing as you’re a beginner, you are going to want to invest some time in learning sports betting jargon. You have to know what is being said for every bet, so that you can make informed decisions. The sports betting industry moves at a rapid pace, so if you have to waste time Googling what certain terms mean, you might miss out on the bet because you’ll act and respond too slowly. There are a few crucial sports betting terms you must be aware of, which will be outlined briefly below:
- Odds: The probability of an outcome, which determines how much you win.
- Payout: The total money you receive if your bet wins (so this is the stake + profit).
- Moneyline: Betting on who will win the game.
- Point Spread: Betting on the margin of victory. Here, one team is given a handicap.
- American Odds (Moneyline Odds): +200 (underdog), -150 (favorite).
You need to be well-versed with all of the above-mentioned terms if you want to start participating on sports betting sites.
Participate with Responsibility in Mind
As exciting as sports betting sounds, you need to remember that the essence of this activity is still betting. Many people can get carried away because they are invested in the game as they’re passionate about the sport or the team but they forget that they have a financial investment on the line and so emotions can often cause more harm than good.
Therefore, if you do participate in sports betting, you have to do so with caution and responsibility in mind. Never invest more than what you have readily available and do not put in too much time either. Sports betting is only ever meant to be a hobby and never become anything more.
Well, there you have it, a beginner’s guide to sports betting.
