Professional sport is the biggest show on the planet. There’s no other form of entertainment that comes close, not Hollywood, not Netflix and not music. Don’t believe us? Well here are some facts to back that assertion up
- In the 2022/2023 season, just over 21.7 million spectators clicked through the turnstiles to watch English Football League action (Championship, League One & League Two.)
- 4 million people tuned in live to watch the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in this year’s Super Bowl.
- 518 million viewers watched the ODI Cricket World Cup in India last winter.
- In the UK alone 4.8 million live viewers tuned in to Sky Sports to watch the PDC World Darts Championship final in December.
- 5 billion football fans sat in front of their TV screens to watch Lionel Messi’s Argentina lift the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Only Royal funerals, COVID-19 statements and the Moon Landing come anywhere near the live television audiences of sporting events.
Is it any wonder then that in the most recent year on record – 2022 – the Global Sports Betting Market was valued at a staggering $81.03 billion?
In the US alone, where not even half of states have legalised online sports betting, revenues reached $7.5 billion last year.
If those figures tell us anything it’s that more people are wagering on their favourite sports than ever before. Whilst we could easily write an article listing the 5 most bet on sports instead we’ve decided to share with you which sport is the best one for betting fans to wager on.
It’s Soccer…Of Course it’s Soccer.
So, we decided against the long-drawn-out reveal and thought we’d just hop right in and tell you that the best sport to bet on is soccer. It makes sense as it’s the most watched sport on the planet, so naturally it must be the best sport to bet on.
There’s more to it than that of course, so here are three reasons why soccer is the best sport to bet on:
- Unpredictability
We’re not talking about unpredictability in terms of the big prizes. After all Manchester City have won 5 of the last 6 Premier League titles, Bayern Munich have won the last 11 Bundesliga title and Juventus have won 9 out of the last 12 Scudettos.
The unpredictability in soccer comes in the individual games and matchups. Whereas the Carolina Panthers would have no chance against the Chiefs and the Detroit Pistons would get walloped by the Boston Celtics, in soccer the worst team always stands a chance, even against the best teams.
It’s why Huddersfield Town were able to beat Manchester United in 2017 and secure their Premier League status in 2018 with draws away to Premier League centurions Manchester City and title holders Chelsea despite being one of the worst teams to ever play in the division.
It’s why Greece were able to lift Euro 2004, why one of the worst teams in Liverpool’s history were able to win the Champions League in 2005.
Soccer is a low scoring game and because of that, you can never write off an underdog and that makes betting on soccer all the more exciting.
- Simplicity
Soccer is a simple game in spite of the best efforts of VAR and FIFA. This simplicity makes it an incredibly accessible sport to bet on. There are very few confusing terms, the betting markets are all relatively straight forward and what’s more is that you can bet on soccer even if you’re just a casual fan.
You don’t have to know all the plays blow by blow, you don’t have to take into account confusing variables such as the toss in cricket and, in the same sport, weather conditions. Soccer is straightforward and easy to understand, making it ideal for casual and seasoned betters alike.
- Consistency
Here’s a sad fact for fans of betting on football – it’s over and it’s over for a very, very long time. The Super Bowl was great, but the next competitive football match in the NFL is expected to be held on September 5.
Between then and now there will be the culmination of every major football league in Europe, the culmination of every domestic cup, the knockout rounds of the Champions League, the European Championships in Germany, the 48thedition of the Copa America and the resumption of every major league in Europe.
Like it or loathe it, soccer is a constant and if you like betting then you want to follow a sport that gives you year round opportunities to place wagers. Soccer is completely and utterly unrivalled in that department.
In Summary
Soccer has it all. It has the thrills and the spills, it’s easy to understand, it’s consistently played throughout the year and more often than not, it’s completely engrossing and full of drama that Hollywood would be proud of.
For those reasons we think soccer l is the best sport to bet on. If you don’t agree with us be sure to let us know which sport you think is better to bet on in the comments section below.
