Sports betting is a way of life for many people, and almost all professional sports leagues in North America and Europe offer wagering opportunities. The lines in major sports are like the temperature of the air in the desert – always rising. It’s a fact of life. And while watching the Super Bowl this past February might not have been the wisest move for those with a poor budget, it was well worth it.
In total, the American Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference each won four Super Bowls last year. Collectively, those eight wins brought in approximately $96 million in betting winnings. Not too shabby.
Let’s take a closer look at how much you could have made if you’d placed a small $10 wager on each of those games – what is it called – a ‘dog’s-nose’ wager in sports parlance? Thanks to online sports betting websites like DoubleDotBet, the lines for popular sporting events are now available for betting, with prices published in real time – perfect for those with a quick betting eye.
Dog’s-nose Wagers Explained
The most basic form of wagering – dog’s-nose wagering – involves placing a wager on the outcome of an upcoming game, with the exact money wagered exposed on the betting line. The term ‘dog’s-nose’ comes from the fact that the outcome of the game isn’t known at the time of the wager. It’s similar to ‘teasing’ a potential wager by placing a small wager on the opposite team – e.g., the New England Patriots against the Buffalo Bills, or vice versa. The oddsmakers know what you’re up to, and it’s not considered cheating. It’s just good fun.
Dog’s-nose wagering is widely accepted in the sports betting world, and is usually open to all comers. However, some places and some times allow some pretty fancy wagering, involving more than one team and the use of statistical information to determine the outcome of the game. But for the most part, dogs’-nose wagering works just fine.
Making the Most of Small Wagers
The beauty of online sportsbooks is that they allow for ‘small’ wagers. For example, if the price of a $10 wager on the New York Yankees is $3.00, how much money could you potentially win if you bet $10 on the team every single game? That’s a lot of money.
Well, the answer is that it depends. Remember, the line will go up or down as matches are played, so you never know how much it might have changed by the time you read this.
The key is to make the most of your small wagers. It is usually not a good idea to lay down large sums of money on one or two games, especially if the over/under (O/U) is high. Make multiple small wagers – on multiple games – and eventually you’ll start accumulating money. The key to financial success in betting is playing smart.
Basketball: The Popular American Sport
Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, and across the pond in Europe, as well. Professional basketball leagues in the US have a combined total attendance of over 4.8 million fans per year. That’s a lot of people interested in watching basketball.
Basketball is a fast-paced sport that often features intense competition and high scoring. The 2010–11 NBA season was the most-watched season in the history of American television, and it wasn’t even that close. The Season 6 installment of TNT’s popular ‘SportsCentury’ was also the most-watched program in the history of that cable network. It seems like everyone has an opinion on basketball – whether you agree or disagree with it – so it must be pretty popular.
The NBA is the premier basketball league in the United States, offering franchises for sale, as well as a rookie-sophomore league, the NBA G League, which plays with fewer than five players per team. In Europe, the first professional basketball league was founded in 1919, and today there’s a total of 17 leagues – including the NBA – spanning across the pond. Professional basketball is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world. In 2015, the NBA had a record 2.9 million people watching its livestream on Facebook, while more than 500,000 people tuned in to watch the Toronto Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors in an historic NBA Finals matchup.
One of the most interesting aspects of the NBA is its salary structure. Thanks to ‘hockey-style’ betting in the form of ‘over/under’ betting and ‘point-spread’ betting, combined with an escalating salary cap, NBA players are now (mostly) paid according to how well they perform. To give you an idea of how much basketball players make, here’s a breakdown of the current NBA salary structure:
- The average NBA player earns about $6 million per year.
- There are 28 teams in the NBA, and the average game costs around $2.5 million to broadcast.
- The maximum salary for an NBA player is currently $15.5 million per year.
- The average play lasts for about 30 seconds, and the shot clocks, line reviews, and video replays ensure that the action never stops.
- About 559,000 fans paid to see the Los Angeles Lakers play in 2017–18, the most in NBA history.
- The Sacramento Kings were the most-viewed team in NBA history, with over 56.2 million views on TNT Sports’ website.
In an effort to continue growing its online betting audience, NBA Live Rewind launched NBA 2K18 this past February. The popular game now allows fans to rewind the game and see plays from multiple angles, like the great basketball movies of yore.
Thanks to the NBA’s popularity, as well as the fact that it’s played across the pond in Europe – especially in Ireland, where many basketball fans live – there are a variety of ways to make money betting on the sport. For those looking to get into the swing of things, here are the top 15 sportsbooks for Americans, all of which accept US dollars, euros, and pounds.
Top 15 Sportsbooks For Americans
If you’re looking for a place to wager on sports, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Bet365. The sportsbook is one of the largest and most popular ones in the world, having signed up millions of US customers, and welcomes players from all over the world. In total, Bet365 has signed up more than 65 million US customers and is available to bet on just about any sport – from the NBA to the NFL, from soccer to tennis, and from hockey to baseball. When it comes to baseball, the bookmaker is actually the largest sportsbook in the world, thanks to the fact that the MLB season runs from April to October. If you’ve never ventured into the world of sports betting, welcome! With so much action on every single game, it’s easy to get started. Just make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules and the jargon before putting down a bet. And if you’re looking for an all-round experience, check out Bet365’s Global Sports Exchange (GSE), which allows for fast and easy inbound/outbound transfers – something you won’t find at many smaller sportsbooks.
Where Can I Bet?
If you’re new to the world of sports betting, it’s a good idea to start small. Find a nearby bookie that offers a simple exchange rate, and bets on all major sports. If you want to get a feel for how betting works and how much money you could potentially win or lose, start with $25 and make your first bet on a game that’s easy to follow. You should have no problem picking up the lingo and following the action. If you’re looking for a safe and easy way to make some extra cash, try out some of the larger sportsbooks, such as Bet365 or Paddy Power. More and more bookmakers are getting into the habit of allowing small bets because it’s so easy for them to make money from them. The key to making the most out of your small wagers is playing regularly and following the action closely.