Online Sports Gambling
The online sports gambling industry has grown at a frantic rate over the last 10 years. It's even been estimated that 1 in 4 Americans use the internet to bet on sports at least once a year. If you've ever wanted to join the increasing numbers of online sports betting but have been put off by questions of legality, sports betting terms and picking the right gambling site, this article will give you the head start you need.
The Legality of Online Sports Gambling
It is often incorrectly assumed that sports gambling is explicitly illegal in the United States but that simply isn't the case. The truth is that the entire matter is a legal grey area. Thanks to a complex series of poorly written laws and differing interpretations of those laws, the legality of online sports gambling is hotly debated.
Most of the anti-gambling laws on the books target the operators of online sports gambling organizations, not the customers. These laws have been challenged by a variety of organizations, most notably the World Trade Organization. For the average guy betting on sports, however, there's not a whole lot to be worried about. As of today, no United States citizen has been charged for merely placing a sports bet online.
Online Sports Gambling Basics
Sports betting is actually a lot simpler than it looks at first glance. The biggest hang-up for new sports bettors is figuring out what the different lines and odds mean and how to interpret the abbreviated betting options. After you get these few basic downs, you'll be well along your way on the learning curve. There are plenty of sports to bet on, so picking the sport you most enjoy may be a great start. A few of the popular choices are soccer, football, baseball, basketball, and hockey.
Point Spread Bets
The point spread bet was created in the 1940s in response to a common problem sports bookies faced: that when a dominant team faced a big underdog, nearly everyone would bet on the dominant team. The point spread bet adds the stipulation that heavily favored teams must win by a certain number of points for it be counted as a win.
Point spread bets are written in this form:
Team A: +15 1/2
Team B: -15 1/2
In this case, Team A must win by 16 points or more. If Team A doesn't win by at least 16 points, the win is given to everyone who bet on Team B. The half point is used to prevent teams from landing on that exact score.
Totals and Over/Unders
Over/Unders are usually called Totals in sports betting. This type of bet is popular because of its simplicity. In totals bets all you need to do is predict whether the combined score of the two teams will be over or under the posted total on the gambling website.
Say an online sports gambling site states the total for an upcoming game between Dallas and Green Bay is 42 points. You may then bet based on whether you think the two teams will score a total of more than 42 points or less than 42 points. If you pick the over and Dallas wins 27 to 14, you lose the bet because the combined score of the two teams is only 41.
Money line Bets
Money line bets are simple bets made on the outcome of a game. The odds are adjusted to account for certain teams being more likely to win than others. The typical money line bet looks like this:
Kansas City Royals: +170
Chicago White Sox: -190
In this example, the White Sox are favored to win the game so the odds have been adjusted to reflect this. The -190 means that you must risk $190 to win $100 when betting on the White Sox. The +170 after the Royals means you must risk $100 to win $170. You don't have to bet in $100 increments, that's just how it's broken down for the odds. These can be used for bets of any size.
Picking the Right Online Sports Gambling Site
The best way to choose the best sports gambling site is to visit our sports betting site reviews. The most important things to look for in a site are safety, reputation and betting options.
Safety is of the utmost importance when picking a gambling site. If you're going to be placing your hard earned money in someone else's hands, they'd better be trustworthy! Check out our reviews for the most secure sites to play on. These sites have been around for a long time and have proven to be safe places to play at.
Reputation comes in a close second to safety. You want to pick a site that has an established track record of integrity, honesty and customer service. The last thing you want to do is put your money in a site and then find out they have a long history of slow payments and customer service problems. Look for these ratings in our reviews section.
It's important to find a site that offers the gambling options you need. Most sites specialize in all the major sports but they all differ in their approach to online sports gambling. If you're into sports that aren't as mainstream, you'll definitely want to do your research before sending your money to any one site.