Top 10 Best Sports to Bet On

Top 10 Sports To Place Bets On in the US

There is no doubt that Americans love sports; we spend a lot of time and money supporting our favourite teams and players without any reward. The good news is that we have moved past that era. Currently, sports betting allows us to make money from our sports knowledge and team confidence.

Sports punters have increased in America since 2018 when the Supreme Court overruled the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Professional Act (PASPA). You must have noticed that before 2018, horse and greyhound races were some of the only sports we could place bets on legally. This was because the PASPA Act has explicit regulations preventing us from placing bets on any form of professional or amateur sports in America. It was why we did not have legal sportsbooks outside Nevada until 2019. 

With the PASPA Act out of the way, we now have the liberty to place bets on any sports across the exciting sports leagues. Sports betting is now legal in at least 30 states, including Kansas, which dragged its feet with the legislation, and has given licenses to 6 leading online sportsbooks. If you travel to most parts of the country, you can legally place your sports bets.

Sports betting is becoming one of the most rewarding gaming sectors in the world, so you have a great opportunity to make a huge payout from most sports bets. However, this list covers 10 of the most rewarding sports you can find on any bookie in America. Let’s explore your leading options:

1. Football
2. Basketball
3. Baseball
4. Soccer
5. Horse Racing
6. Tennis
7. Esports
8. Boxing
9. Car racing
10. MMA/ UFC

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports in America, with long-term support for NFL teams. Even the patronage at NFL tournaments and the expectations for the Super Bowl proves the commitment to Football. Football is a lucrative betting choice because there are multiple markets and exciting competition among the teams.

The National Football League has 32 teams in 8 divisions, and each team plays 16 games during the season. The games typically take over 60 minutes and each quarter of that time presents you with an opportunity to make huge wins. Most bookmakers offer between 1.90 and 1.95 odds for NFL matches, and you can play these odds in any format, but let’s explore the most popular three:

• Moneyline Odds

Moneyline is a popular and simple betting option. You simply bet on a team and get your money if you were right with that choice. There are no point spreads, but the payout may be different depending on the odds against the team. The winning margin often determines the odds, usually with a plus (+) or minus (-) sign depending on the stronger team. Betting on the team with the minus (-) odds means they have a higher chance of winning, offering a lesser payout than choosing the underdog.

• Fractional or UK Odds

Fractional odds allow the punter to see how many odds they are betting against and their chance of winning. Unlike Moneyline, Fractional odds use a slash (/) or hyphen (-) to separate players' odds from the stakes against them. Having a five to one (5/1) odds means that the punter can win 5 times their original, so if you wager $20 on this 5/1 odds, you have a good chance of winning $100.

• Parlay

Parlay is one of the riskiest but most rewarding sports betting options. It works mostly with the moneyline, but you can apply it to other odds. With a parlay, you can combine different games on one play sheet and combine their winning chances into one huge payout. You can also create a parlay of different teams, including different betting markets of the same competition. However, Parlay is generally cumulative. When one of the markets or games on the sheet fails, it can affect your chance of winning the other games.

These betting odds are similar across several sports, but the betting market may differ. Some football betting markets include Futures and Outright bets, Over and under bets, side bets like score props or quarter props, and the popular winning margin bet. 

Pros of Football Bet

• Rewarding bets markets
• Competitive odds
• Low-risk bet options

Cons of Football Bet

• Highly regulated in some states
• Limited recognition outside the US

Basketball

Basketball is an American sport with one of the largest fan bases in the world. Anticipations for game seasons show how much commitment people put into the sport; it is only natural that they get something in return. A typical season has 82 games aside from the 2 long post-season months, giving each fan enough time to bet on their favourite teams and even make money off those they don’t like. While basketball games may be rewarding for bettors, it is quite difficult to predict the outcomes.

Of course, we have our assurances in some teams. We know they can maintain form enough to win most of their opponents, and those are great teams to place bets on. However, placing a moneyline or total score bet on a basketball match would not be smart since those 2-hour matches can be quite unpredictable.

Pros of Basketball bet.

• Exciting live betting 
• Available in most sportsbooks
• Extremely rewarding

Cons of Basketball bet.

• Highly unpredictable games
• Licensing restrictions on live streaming

Baseball

Very few states in America don’t have Baseball teams, and we have countless Little League and College teams to show how well Americans love Baseball. We have seen Baseball stars get national and international recognition, and we have seen how far some fans can go for their teams. 

Baseball is an exciting sport, the MLB tournaments make other leagues look like child's play, and the rewards are high for players and punters. Everything from the playoff to the World Series are highly exciting games that can get you some rich payout.

Betting on Baseball generally involves similar odds and markets as other sports. Let’s take a brief review of the betting markets.

Live Bets

Live bet is a highly rewarding option as it allows players to place their bets while the match is on. It is not generally available before the match begins, so there are limited betting options. However, when the game begins, you can place bets on every activity, including the number of runs and innings as they go on.

Over/ Under Betting

You may know this as Totals bets. Here, the punter combines the scores of both teams and predicts what the combined scores will be over or under a specified number. Over or under in baseball requires you to predict the number of runs both teams will make, and the number is usually between 6.5 and 12. You may also predict how many runs a player could make in that match.

Moneyline

Moneyline is popular among sports bets as it describes the general win-or-lose perspective of most sports. Betting on Moneyline is more rewarding when an underdog wins because the odds are against them and higher for the punter. However, Moneyline is riskier in Baseball than in other sports. Here the win or lose depends on individual factors like runs and ins, so a player’s form has more effect on the overall result in baseball than it does in others.

Run line

The run line is more particular to baseball, but we call it Points Spreading in other sports. It is generally a bet on how many runs the team would win or lose. When making a 1.5-run line bet, you are wagering on whether the team can win by two or more runs. It is a safer alternative to Moneyline because you are not betting on the team’s win or loss; you are simply staking on either possibility.

Parlay Bets

A parlay involves you bringing different games into the same sheet. It allows you to combine several individual games to make single large odds for your bet. There are no limits to the games you can include in a Parlay bet, you can even combine the other betting types like Runline, Moneyline, and Future bet to make one Parlay Bet, and you can cash out on any of the games before you lose the others. 

Pros of Baseball bet.

• Rich live bet option
• Competitive odds and market

Cons of Baseball Bet

• High-risk bet options

Soccer

Soccer is easily the most popular sport in the world, perhaps one of the most rewarding as we see in the income of most soccer stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It can also become highly rewarding for fans as they can win big from placing bets on their favourite teams.

Like most sports betting options, soccer betting includes different market varieties that can help the punter make huge gains. The punter can place bets on everything, including the final score, half-time score and even how many goals a particular player would score. Punters with the right strategy can have their huge cashout before the end of the first half.

The popularity of soccer can become a huge advantage for punters as the number of competing bets on each betting market translates into more odds. When 2000 persons all bet against a team or player, they increase the possible reward for the other persons that bet in favour. Of course, the bookmakers enjoy most of the rewards, but in the end, there is still a huge winning opportunity for the punters.

Soccer offers various betting options that you can employ to create the ultimate cash out. Some of the notable soccer betting markets include:

• Match Result

This is one of the most popular markets in soccer. It is an outright prediction of the total score of the match, and if correct, you can win a huge payout at the end of the match. Unfortunately, match results are not the easiest markets to predict because it is Soccer, and anything can happen. 

• Draw or Lose

Some people think Draw or Lose is a cop-out, but it is one of the safest sports betting markets. Withdraw or lose, you save yourself the trouble of how many goals your team would score or who would win, especially when you think it is a weak team. Instead, you settle with the assurance that the team may draw the match, or they may lose. In the end, it is also a risky choice. What if that weak team plays better than usual and wins? You can also select other market variations like Win  Lose, Win or Draw.

• Over or Under Market

This is perhaps soccer’s most popular betting market. With Over Market, the punter bets on whether the team would score more than the chosen goal mark. While, Under Market, they bet on the team scoring less than the chosen points. In the end, the punter wins by predicting the match result without being specific about the match result.

Pros of Soccer Bet

• Competitive odds
• Available on most sportsbooks
• Vast market options

Cons of Soccer Bet

• High-risk level
• Overwhelming betting options

Horse Racing

Racing horses is one of the regular activities that we have evolved into sports. Horses used to be the prominent means of transportation before we had more convenient alternatives, but we can’t seem to shake the need to race horses. Most local race tracks have hosted weekly horse or greyhound races before 2018, but these were legal in most states despite the PASPA regulation. 

Punters enjoy horse races because they are thrilling, action-packed and highly competitive. They have separate classes based on the horse breed, track distance, and race rules. Some races involve hurdles, while most times, the horses have to race across a clear track to win the competition. Aside from being exciting sports where the jockeys gallop and race their horses towards a set destination, horse racing betting makes it even more exciting with a wide range of options available.

Like other track events, the ideal betting option for horse races is to bet on the outcome. The nature of the competition does not permit many betting markets, but you also have the option to place your bet on the place. Here are the betting options in most horse races:

Straight Win

This option allows you to place your bet on whether a horse or jockey would win a particular race. Placing this bet requires knowledge of the speed and capacity of the horse, so it is advisable to observe the horses closely before placing your bets on them. To be certain of a positive outcome, you should see the same horse race up to three times before you place your wager on it. This would help you judge whether it has the speed and strength to help you win.

Places/Show Bet

Places and Show bets allow you to wager on what position a particular horse would be in at the end of the race. While this is still a bet on the outcome, it involves a slight variation. Place bets are usually limited to the first and second positions, while Show Bet allows you to wager on the third. 

Each Way

This is a combination of Straight Win and Each Bet. The combination allows punters to place wagers on whether the horse would win the race and what position another would be in at the end of the race. This is the riskiest option on this list because you would be predicting two different options in the same race. However, keen observation of the horses and their track history can help you make informed choices.

Pros of Horse Race Bets

• It is a popular sport 
• The races are highly predictable
• Bets are competitive and yield get rewards
• Horse races are exciting sports

Cons of Horse Race Bets

• Bets are risky
• Horses races are extremely competitive

Tennis

Tennis is one of the world's most competitive and rewarding sports, with leading figures like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams bringing mass attraction to the sophisticated sport. Tennis might not be the leading sport in the US, but it attracts more punters with its rewarding potential.

Like most sports, Tennis involves highly competitive games where the two sides try to outwit each other with speed and sharp reflexes. International competitions like the French Open and Wimbledon attract fans and sports enthusiasts, and tennis punters also enjoy some bit of the action.

Betting on Tennis is similar to betting on other sports. You have betting markets like Futures, where you predict who would win the game, or Points Spread, where you wager on what points either player would make. You also have live betting, one of the prominent features of Tennis, where you can wager on basic features like what points the players would make in each round or who would win that round.

Pros of Tennis Bets

• Rewarding betting market
• Exciting gameplay
• Rich live betting options

Cons of Tennis Bet

• Limited bet option
• Risky and changing game status

Car Racing

Fast-paced sports have always been thrilling and extremely rewarding, but auto racing is on another level. Formula 1 set us on this asphalt of relentless fuel-packed excitement with high-speed competition and huge cashout options for punters. These days we rely on NASCAR and the affiliated sportsbooks to provide us with the thrill and the pay.

Betting on car racing is rewarding for punters, but it is also one of those games we cannot always predict. Like most sports, we place our bets on cars and their drivers because of our information, and we get these details from training and press releases. Since car racing relies on more mechanics than other sports, we can trust that the cars will function as expected, but it also makes the entire competition quite unpredictable. Exploding cars and swerving Gen-7s do not always uphold the confidence we want to have in these cars.

The betting markets in car racing are similar to betting markets in horse races as they include Straight Win, where you bet on who takes the lead, and Places/Show, where you bet on what position a racer would occupy at the end of the race and Each Way where you wager on who leads and who takes specific positions. Additionally, car racing allows for live streaming and live betting, so you can apply the betting markets to place live bets on each lap. 

Pros of Car Racing Bets

• Highly rewarding bets
• Fast-paced action
• Excellent live stream and live betting option.

Cons of Car Racing Bets

• Sometimes unpredictable

Esports

As one of the largest gaming economies in the world, it would be a shame if America did not have a rewarding Esports system. Esports in America has evolved over the past few years from an underground and mostly illegal sport to one of the most lucrative pastimes. These days, we have as much Esports access as most European countries and even better rewards.

The Esport ecosystem in America involves regular games like Fortnite, League of Legends, DOTA, and Counter-Strike. While these games are mostly virtual, you can still bet on them and make real money. Some popular betting options include games like Daily Fantasy Sports and the Fantasy Premier League, where the games use real-life sports stats to guide their gaming features. 

Betting on Esports is similar to betting on other sports and is available in most sportsbooks. The betting marketing and type of odds depend on the bookmaker and the nature of the game. However, most Esports allow Points Spread and Totals as their basic bet markets.

Pros of Esports Bet

• Several gaming options
• Similar to most sports bet
• Better live stream and live bet than other sports

Cons of Esports Bet

• Some games involve unrealistic circumstances
• High competitive gaming structures

Boxing

Boxing has recently become one of the most rewarding sports globally. While we have legends like Mohammed Ali and Tyson Fury to thank for the sport's popularity, its true worth did not come up until stars like Floyd Mayweather made their fortune off throwing punches. 

The growing attraction to boxing has also attracted sports punters who can predict basic aspects like how many rounds the game would last and who would win each round or the entire bout. The betting market and odds are similar to sports like Tennis because they also involve two players trying to get points within each round before they can become the ultimate winner. One benefit of placing bets on boxing is that the winner is often predictable. Like most sports, keen observation of the boxers and their form can help the punter decide who might win a boxing match.

Pros of Boxing Bets

• One of the most rewarding bet options
• Easily predictable competition

Cons of Boxing bets

• Limited bet markets
• Limited live betting options.

Mixed Martial Arts

Affray is an indictable offence in most counties, but Mixed Martial Arts is a safer and more rewarding way to work out that rage. This is not an endorsement for Fight Club, but throwing jabs and kicks is the new cool. The Ultimate Fighting Champion is not only a recognized mixed martial artist, but they also get a lot of money.

Even more exciting, the spectators can make money off the action. Like boxing, predicting who wins an MMA contest may be your way to financial independence. Betting on MMA is considerably riskier than wagering on boxing, as MMA allows some acts that would not fly in the boxing ring. However, the odds and betting markets in Mixed Martial Art are similar to boxing, with live betting, Win, and Points Spread as the leading options.

Pros of MMA bets

• Competitive sport
• Excellent live gaming option
• Profitable bet options

Cons of MMA Bet

• Limited bet market

What Makes a Sport Good to Bet On

We have assessed most sports and listed the basic features that make them excellent for you to bet on. Sports are generally exciting activities, and their competitive nature has excellent bet potential.

However, some sports are more rewarding to punters than others. This does not always have to deal with their similarity or the fact that they are track or field events.

While it is quite popular to bet on horse races, betting on running athletes does not have the same appeal despite being similar to track events. Most Olympic games are suitable for bets, but they rarely get the attention of punters as field events do. 

Market Variety

Most punters place bets because they want to explore their options, which is why games with more market variety have high patronage. Market variety describes how you can place bets on a game, and you typically have options like Moneyline, Points Spread, Run Line, Over/Under, and Parlay.

These options regulate how much the punter can make off a particular game and decide the game's betting structure. Sports with quality live bet options typically have points spread, while Moneyline is the most common for all games.

Odds (High or Low)

The odds generally differ between the two sides betting on the same game. Odds mostly come from the sport's popularity or the team's efficiency. As punters place their bet on the side that is likely to win, the odds expand and increase the reward for the punters that win the wager.

Live Streaming 

As a rule of thumb, sports with excellent live stream options are highly rewarding sports to bet on. Live stream often translates to live bet, affecting options like points spread and Parlay. With the live stream, you can watch the game as you place your wagers.