Although basketball is best known as one North America’s biggest sports, it is growing in popularity throughout the world – and especially in Europe – at a rapid rate.
\nIt is a game of non-stop action and high-octane thrills, with the NBA being the biggest basketball competition in the world as millions of people tune into every game – even before the NBA Playoffs or NBA Finals have come around.
\nIndeed, the rise in popularity of basketball in Europe has been caused by a mixture of more people watching, not just the NBA online and on TV, but also the continent’s own EuroLeague. The EuroLeague has been running under various guises since 1958, but it has grown tremendously in recent years. Even for those not familiar with European basketball, there’s still plenty of familiar names for sports fans to recognise with sporting institutions like Real Madrid, Barcelona, CSKA Moscow, Fenerbahce, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and Macca Tel Aviv all league members.
\nOn an international level, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts hoops fans’ attention every four years, although basketball lovers had to wait an extra year for the 2019 World Cup in China. Unsurprisingly, the United States is a dominant force at the international level too – especially since NBA players were permitted to compete in the event from 1994 onwards.
\nAnd people don’t just love watching the latest matches and following the biggest competitions, they also love betting on basketball. In the following sections, we’ll look at the six reasons why basketball betting is so popular.
\nUnlike in football were teams can be dominated and still manage to get a “lucky” win by taking their only chance while their opponents are wasteful, the better and more dominant team in basketball tends to win the match due to the high-scoring nature of the game. While football is generally decided in isolated moments, the accumulative points in basketball normally means that the best side wins.
\nThis also means that basketball is a slightly more predictable game – which is certainly a benefit if you’re looking to place a bet on a basketball match or tournament.
\nMany sports fans like to proudly proclaim their predictions, especially when they’ve retrospectively turned out to be right. However, it’s more satisfying if you can cash in on your grandiose claims by placing a basketball bet on your predictions – this way you can really prove that your foresight was right.
\nIndeed, betting can be a satisfying exercise for sports fans to do as it is great way for them to put their vast sporting knowledge to good use and potentially a reward for doing so.
\nAs basketball is a high-scoring game, it also opens up the opportunity for some unique bet types.
\nOne of the most popular basketball bets is the points spread, which is like a handicap bet in other sports, with players able to bet on how many points a team will win by. For example, you might get odds of 6/5 for Spurs to beat the Hornets with a -4.5 points spread – meaning if they have a winning margin of five or higher, you’ll win your bet. This is a great way to get better odds on the favourite winning, while if you fancy an underdog to run a team close – or even beat them – you can get a positive point spread (e.g. +4.5), which would be added to their total points tally when calculating your bet outcome.
\nThere’s also no shortage of special basketball betting markets on all manner of aspects of the game, while if you prefer a long-term wager, you can also bet on who will win basketball competitions overall.
\nBasketball betting can also be a great source of entertainment when you’re hanging out with friends. If you’re together watching a game, each having some bets on the proceedings can bring out a competitive edge between you all and add another dimension of fun to the festivities.
\nRandom bets on niche markets (such as quarter betting or whether a team will end up with an odd or even points total) can be especially funny as you start to cheer on unusual aspects of the game.
\nIf you’re also hanging out with a friend who supports a certain team that you would normally have no interest in, you can also find a good reason to start supporting his team by also backing them with a bet.
\nThis is a great way of bonding and making sure that you’ll really be entertained by a game that might not normally capture your attention.
\nOn the other hand, if you like to annoy your friends a bit, you can even bet on the opponent to win and really laud it over them if they go on to lose!
\nThe main reason people bet on basketball, though, is as a form of entertainment. People shouldn’t hold expectations about making money from betting, nor should they stake more than they can afford to lose. Basketball betting can – and should – be a great deal of fun.
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