While the sport with its spectacular flight inserts and crashing slam dunks is already number three among the sports betting internationally, it is only on the way to working its way up in Europe’s popularity ranking.
The competition from tennis and ice hockey seems too harsh, but sales with basketball betting are also increasing in Europe.
According to studies, basketball is the sport with the third-highest sports betting turnover in the world and the sport with the third-largest fan base – behind the inevitable football and cricket.
Basketball has more than two billion followers – the majority in North America and Southeast Asia.
This popularity is no coincidence – basketball has all the ingredients for great entertainment: suspense, action, drama, great speed, and surprising twists and turns in the game.
This is one reason why sports betting providers have significantly increased their basketball betting range in recent years.
The 6 most popular basketball betting types
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Outright bet
Although there are various sports betting options, the classic win bet is still the absolute number 1 in basketball betting.
In basketball, the two-way bet, which only knows victory or defeat, dominates the three-way bet.
Since basketball draws are extremely rare, tips on X are very unusual, and the odds are correspondingly high.
The fact that one game result does not apply, namely a tie, means that the chance of winning in basketball bets is much higher than, for example, in football, where there are relatively many ties.
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Handicap bet
As in soccer, ice hockey, or handball, there is also handicap betting in basketball.
This makes sense, especially when there is a clear division of roles. Therefore, the favored team is still capable of a victory even with a virtual deficit.
With handicap bets, the often poor odds for famous victories can be improved a bit.
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Points betting
With this type of bet, the over / under bets known from football comes into play – mainly because the points yield is many times higher than in football.
With the usual total scores between 150 and 250 points, a lot is possible.
Precisely for this reason, the number and ratio of these points are a popular object for tips, so-called point bets.
There are numerous variants of these.
For example, it is possible to predict who has reached a certain point limit first or whether the sum of the individual results will be even or odd.
Most often, however, point spacing is used. The question is: How many points will the winners leave the field within the end?
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Quarter bets
This type of bet is comparable to halftime bets from football or third-party bets from ice hockey.
The outcome of the game is predicted after every quarter.
Will team A be ahead after the first quarter, or will it be a draw?
In basketball, in addition to the four quarters, you can also bet on the final scores at halftime.
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Long term bets
In US sports – and this includes basketball in general and the NBA in particular – there is a large selection of long-term bets. Especially for the NBA.
And since the NBA takes the lion’s share of basketball betting, many basketball tipsters also focus on the long-term bets in this league.
There is a wide range to choose from Overall, Conference, Division, etc.
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Live to bet
In few other sports, the game and results can spin as fast as in basketball.
It is not uncommon for the decision about the outcome of a game to be made literally at the last second.
Buzzer beaters are throws that are fired at the same time as the final siren.
In this spectacular way, victories that were no longer considered possible have often been achieved.
The “basketball sport” is therefore ideal for live betting.
Many live bookmakers tend to change the betting odds extremely in one direction with clear guidance in the first or second quarter.
A lead of 10 or 12 points in an early phase of the game says relatively little about the game’s outcome.
When the favorite is behind at the beginning and the sports betting odds are increased significantly, sports betting professionals like to strike. In basketball, even large backlogs can be made up very quickly.
Frequently asked questions about basketball betting
What can you bet on in basketball?
You can bet on a number of matches. The most obvious bet is on a win or a loss. In addition, you can bet on a minimum number of points difference in the result (also called a handicap bet).
You also have the so-called prop bet: this often has nothing to do with the result but can be a bet: how many points will player x score. Some bookmakers have hundreds of such bets. Also, you have the bet ‘total’: here, you predict whether the total number of points scored is higher or lower than a certain number.
Which leagues for basketball betting?
Within basketball, there are a number of competitions you can bet on. These are NBA, NCAA, Euroleague, Eurocup, PBA, FIBA Champions League. In addition, almost every country has its own competition on which to bet.
Can you bet on basketball at Unibet?
Yes, Unibet has a wide variety of sports betting options. Also, you will be able to follow a live stream of the matches here. You also are permitted to play via the Unibet application.
What is the number of players in a basketball team?
The basketball squad is formed with five players. Thus the team has five positions: point guard (PG), shooting guard (SG), small forward (SF), forward force (PF) & middle (C).
Why doesn’t a basketball match last the same length everywhere?
This has to do with the competition, which makes it different in terms of total playing time. In the NBA, a basketball game lasts 48 minutes (4 x 12 minutes). In the FIBA , 40 minutes (4 x 10 minutes). This is pure playtime (net).
What can you be careful of when you bet on basketball?
The statistics can be reviewed so that you can watch how well a team has operated in the past. It is also necessary to figure out how any players really participate. It is also always good to compare the different odds of bookmakers. It’s also important to check information on competitions and players that you are not very familiar with. For example, if you’d like to bet on the Philippine Basketball Association, you have to check the teams and the specific PBN basketball players.
Where can you find tips on betting on basketball?
There are a number of online betting sites that focus on basketball. In addition to these websites, you can also visit reputed online community members who share sports betting tips.
Why is there no draw in basketball games?
You can’t gamble on a hoops draw. The explanation for this is that after the conclusion of the game, there is an extension. Also called overtime (OT). This is included in the bet. Different from football.
What is Moneyline?
Moneyline is another name for betting on the winner. And as indicated, this includes an extension (OT).
What is an under/over bet?
This is a bet where you bet on a certain point score. You are betting on a point score that is higher or lower than the given number.
Can you also bet on women’s basketball?
Yes, this is possible. There are a number of websites that offer this. The supply is scarce.
Can you bet on basketball live?
Yes, there are many possibilities in this. The concern is that this would continue to be feasible in the future due to future rules. You can’t think that’s not nice, or you can bet live on it.
For example: which player scores the next point or which side wins the next quarter of the match. This gives an extra dimension to sports betting.
Finally
The noticeable enthusiasm for statistics in US sports, which can also be observed in basketball, is not entirely insignificant for a large number of typing options.
Points, rebounds, conquering the ball, different types of fouls, free throw points, blocks, three-point throws (be it from the regular season or the play-off) – the players and teams’ rage seems to know only a few limits.
