Basketball is one of the most popular winter sports, just like hockey. The most powerful world league in basketball is the NBA, and betting on NBA matches is really very popular. There are numerous legal NBA betting sites with excellent betting opportunities. Still, there are also rather strong European tournaments. However, basketball is a rather specific sport, so it's necessary to consider some of its principal characteristics. Let's consider how to bet correctly on basketball at bookmakers and what to consider when selecting events.
Advantages of Betting on Basketball
Basketball is a rather popular sport for bets. It has several significant advantages, including:
- Most even events. Bookmakers have a tendency to offer equal odds on events with two outcomes. For example, on handicaps and totals.
- High limits. Basketball betting is highly convenient for players who prefer making high stakes. Especially high limits are set on NBA games, as this league is exceedingly popular in America, and Americans are willing to make serious bets.
- Low margin. Due to high competition, bookmakers are forced to reduce the margin. Moreover, for basketball matches, the margin also decreases significantly. You can find matches with a margin of around 5-10%, which is a very good figure.
- High frequency of matches. Basketball games are held indoors, so they take place almost throughout the year. The European basketball season lasts from spring to fall, and when this tournament is over, the NBA season begins, which lasts from fall to spring.
For these reasons, basketball is one of the most popular sports among bettors.
What Can You Bet on in Basketball?
One of the setbacks of basketball betting in bookmakers from the region of Eastern Europe is the limited selection of bets. However, basic options are present in almost all bookmakers. The main types of bets are the following:
- Outcome. Bets are quite typical here – a win of the first team or a win of the second team. The main outcome bet for basketball is win with overtime included.
- Handicap. Basketball handicaps are the same as for other sports – both negative and positive handicaps are possible. Points may be rather different depending on the teams' strength. Typically, NBA handicaps range from 3.5 to 7.5 points.
- Total. There are also two possibilities here – over or under. The typical total for NBA matches is from 210.5 to 220.5 points.
There are also bets not on the entire match, but on specific quarters. Bets on handicaps, totals, outcomes, etc., are also possible here.
What to Analyze Before Betting?
Before betting on basketball, you need to analyze the matches and select the most suitable ones. Luckily, for this sport, there is plenty of analysis available. The key criteria to take note of are:
- Current form. It is recommended to analyze at least 7-8 latest games of the teams. Since the teams have limited rosters, the poor form of one essential player can destroy the chances of the team in a particular game.
- Head-to-head records. Since basketball is a sport with a well-defined notion of a "bad match-up," it can be a significant argument if a team never gets along with another team.
- Tournament motivation. Check the tournament table to understand what each team needs from this game. The leaders fight for the title, and the middle teams fight for playoff spots. In the NBA, there is also the concept of "tanking." It is when the worst teams purposely lose games to receive a high draft pick. Such teams attempt to lose as many matches as possible.
- Injury and suspension list. For basketball, even the absence of one or two key players can affect the result greatly. While in football, even the absence of a couple of leaders may not affect the result that much, in basketball, it does. Very frequently, one player can win an entire championship, and one player's absence can ruin the entire team.
Therefore, basketball can be a very profitable sport if you correctly read the situation in tournaments and teams. There are many tactics for basketball too. If you play according to some system, there is a strong likelihood of winning.