For a long time, baseball betting was generally confined to the United States, mostly because that’s where the sport has been played the most. But this has begun to change, and baseball has begun to make itself across the world and has entered a number of popular betting markets along the way.
In fact, baseball is one of the most popular sports at the moment to wager on, with hundreds of millions of passionate fans around the world always eager to put money down on the next big game. Baseball is also a fantastic sport for those that are relatively new to the world of betting, and want a fun, exciting, and simple sport to begin with. If you’ve ever had an interest in baseball or just want something new to start betting on, we’ve put together a comprehensive and useful guide to help you get started today.
The Many Events To Choose From
One of the many reasons that baseball continues to be a favourite for bettors is because of the many events that there are to choose from. Some of these include:
- The World Series
- The World Baseball Classic
- The Olympics
- The Baseball World Cup
- The Caribbean Series
Most bettors will most likely want to start with the World Series, which is the most popular baseball event in the United States. It’s so well-known that it has spread across the global betting industry and has become a particular favourite to bet on for people living in countries like Australia.
Starting Out With The Right Bookmaker
The bookies are the backbone of the betting world, and without them we would not be able to enjoy wagering on the scale that we do today. Not only do they give us access to all the latest odds as they are released, but they generally provide a plethora of services to make the betting process as convenient as possible. One of the greatest innovations within the last few years has been the creation and wide scale adoption of live betting. This gives bettors the ability to take out wagers as the game is going on, perfect if you like to make decisions in the heat of the action, rather than before the start of the event.
One of the most important steps that a beginner bettor can make is to choose the right bookie right off the bat, so always make sure to choose bookies that tick these boxes:
- Provides decent customer support and is quick to act on any financial issues the customer might have.
- Has an excellent range of different bets to choose from as well as providing a convenient means of doing so, such as a smartphone app that offers live betting.
- Is overseen by some kind of regulatory body – there are many private, public, and governmental agencies that ensure that all bets and services that are offered by a bookie are as fair as possible.
- Has good coverage of all the latest and most important sporting events. There are a lot of niche bookies out there – and while they certainly should be considered at some point, most bettors are better off starting with some of the bigger names in the industry.
- Offers an experience that is as secure as possible; there are too many sites out there that don’t make use of the latest encryption technologies to ensure all personal and financial data is securely locked away.
- Offers some kind of promotions program, which can be the form of betting bonuses, or a loyalty rewards program that can provide unique benefits to those that use the bettor for long periods of time.
- Maintains high-quality and fair terms and conditions – many unscrupulous bookies will often have shady clauses hidden in their T&Cs, which is worth keeping an eye out for. This should apply to most online services, whether it’s an email or signing up with a new casino site – although some are already trusted in the community, with Treasure Mile Casino being a notable example.
How To Choose The Right Wager
Now that the bettor has an account created with a bettor, it’s time to begin looking at the various bets that they have on offer. There are typically many different ones to choose from, but some of the most popular include the following.
- The moneyline: A general bet that can be found offered for most of today’s sports, this is the bread-and-butter for most bookmakers, and the one that most bettors will be familiar with.
- Run line: In baseball, there are no spread bets available; instead, the run line wager takes its place, which is similar to the spread except for the fact that there is a fixed spread number that’s set once and never changes. There is also a reverse run line bet that’s offered by bookies.
- Totals: A totals bet is definitely a favourite among baseball bettors, and these types of wagers are centred around the total number of runs that are going to be scored by both teams by the time that the event has come to an end. A good choice for the seasoned bettor that has a strong understanding of the game and the teams that are going to be participating in it.
- Futures bets: Another bet that’s great to get started with is the futures, which is all about predicting the long-term outcome of a tournament or even season. One of the best examples of this is to put money down on the team that has the potential to win the World Series.
There’s Never Been A Better Time
There are plenty of convincing reasons to start wagering on baseball. Not only does it provide endless hours of prime entertainment, but it can also offer a bettor the chance to make some real money on the side, money that can potentially change their life.
Baseball is one of the simplest games in the world to get a hang of, which also makes it significantly easier to start betting on it. Thanks to the modern conveniences that most bookies offer combined with the multitude of wagers on the market, there really has never been a better time to start betting on professional baseball.