If you don’t know a thing about sports gambling, you’re in the perfect spot because I don’t know a thing either. I decided I no longer wanted to be confused about sports betting, so I did some research on the topic and put my new knowledge to the test.
What do the pluses and minuses and numbers mean?
The pluses and minuses on all the numbers can get confusing. I for one had no idea what any of those numbers mean before my research into the topic.
“The pluses and minuses coincide with the numbers next to them. The minus means that it is favored to happen and the plus means that it has a lesser chance of happening,” says Kevin O’Connor, the Sports Editor for The Dragon Chronicle. “Odds of -1000 is very likely to hit but if the odds were +1000 then your chance of the bet hitting is significantly less but you will earn more money if it does cash. It is a high-risk high reward type of system.”
In simple terms if something has a plus the odds of it happening are low. If something has a minus, is it likely to happen. As for the numbers they can get complex.
The simplest bet you can place is a moneyline bet. This is when you are just betting on which team will win. The numbers on this show how much you will win if you bet $100. If it says +150 if you bet $100 you will get your money back and win an additional $150.
An over/under bet is usually bet on the combined score of both teams at the end of the game. Here the app would give you a number of points or goals and you can bet if the teams would go over or under.
One of the other most popular bets is a spread. This is when you pick a team to win by a certain number of points, goals, or runs and that is what the number will indicate. If it was -7 the favored team must win by seven points for the bet to hit.
Who gets the money that you’re betting if you lose?
The money is given to other betters, not just the company you’re betting with. The company will take the excess money after the winning betters receive their money from the pot of the losing sides money.
Does sports betting make you involved in more sports or games then you would be without placing bets?
“Outside of just watching my team play and succeed on the court I can succeed sitting on my couch. I find that I am more invested in games if I have a bet in play not only for my favorite teams but that goes for all games. Sometimes I may see a game on and place a bet to have a reason to watch that game and become more invested in the outcome,” says O’Connor a senior from Queens, NY “Especially during the month of March when college basketball is at its peak placing a wager on a game during March madness is very entertaining. This goes for all sports I have become more interested in an assortment of sports just because I can bet on them.”
“I find myself a lot more interested in other sports with sports betting apps,” says Jack Altieri a senior at SUNY Cortland. “It makes watching the games more entertaining when you have something on the line.”
Putting my new skills to the test
After learning so much about sports betting, I thought I’d give it a whirl. I created a Draft Kings account which was straight forward and easy to make (not sponsored) and placed my own bet.
Although I lost my bet, I did feel more connected to the game, and I can understand why sports betting can be fun. I personally will be retiring from sports betting, but I wish everyone who I inspired through this article the best of luck.