After decades of an anti-gambling stigma, legal sports betting has emerged into the mainstream. With new states allowing bettors to place wagers, millions of people are entering the sports gambling market for the first time. While the rules and regulations vary by state, there are a few things all bettors should know.
The basic principles of sports betting include putting money behind an outcome of your choice, getting paid if that outcome is achieved and limiting the amount you risk on each bet. The most common types of bets are on teams or individual players to win a game, which is known as a straight bet. You can also bet on team or individual point totals, rebounds, wins, saves, hits, birdies, rounds, and more in the form of props. When placing a bet, you will see a number, or price, attached to each side of the wager. These numbers, called odds, calculate how much you will earn if the bet wins.
One of the most difficult parts of sports betting is finding value. While it is possible to make a profit betting on sports, it requires a lot of work and research. One way to find value is to follow the bet lines on each sport and determine why they are moving. Lines move for a variety of reasons, but one of the most common is when popular teams or individuals receive a significant amount of action from casual punters.