Basketball betting - how to bet on NBA and other games
Basketball is a sport that is particularly popular in the United States, where basketball courts can be found in virtually every city and the sport's great stars motivate poorer citizens to dream and fulfil their dreams. However, the sport has also reached other continents and there are now basketball leagues in a great many countries. Betting and online casino review UK on basketball matches in betting shops has also become popular. This is not surprising, as the specific nature of basketball means that the possibilities and variety of bets are really considerable. Basketball betting, i.e. how to bet and which event markets we can encounter on the websites of online bookmakers. We invite you to read on!
History of the origins of basketball
The history of the origin of basketball is very similar to the history of the origin of volleyball. In this case, the rules of the game were also developed by a physical education teacher at the American YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) in Springfield. James Naismith's idea won a competition for a new sport organised by the school. The first basketball game took place in 1892 and, over time, the game spread around the world - starting in Canada to Europe and on to Australia and Asia.
Men's basketball made its Olympic debut in 1936 and the women's version in 1976. In 1932, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was formed and as popularity grew in individual countries, national basketball leagues began to be organised. Probably the best known is the American league - the NBA. In Poland, the first basketball tournament was played by junior high school girls' teams as early as 1909. In 1957, the Polish Basketball Association was founded. Basketball was and still is a common discipline taught in primary and secondary schools.
Briefly about the rules of basketball
A basketball game consists of four 10-minute (or 12-minute in the NBA league) quarters. There are two teams of five players on the court, and the team with the higher number of points scored is the winner. There are, of course, two baskets on the court at two opposite ends, which the players must hit the ball into. Between 1 and 3 points can be scored for each throw. The above description is a simplification and only a summary of the general purpose of a basketball game. In addition to this, there are rules concerning scoring, the way a player moves with the ball and possible mistakes concerning this, fouls, substitutions and much more. To correctly bet on basketball in bookmaker bets, it is necessary to prepare for it in a decent way - to get acquainted with all the rules and specifics of the game, statistics and to watch many matches.
The most important basketball tournaments in the world
At an online bookmaker, we bet on a specific sporting event, so it is worth knowing the most important tournaments in a given sport. In the case of basketball, there are many national leagues such as:
- United States: NBA (National Basketball Association) for men and WNBA (Women'sNational Basketball Association) for women.
- Canada: NBL (National Basketball League).
- Spain: ACB - men's league, LFB (Liga Femenina de Baloncesto) women's league.
- Poland: EBL (Energa Basket Liga) men's, BLK (Basket Liga Kobiet).
- Italy: Lega Basket A.
- France: Pro A (Ligue nationale de basket-ball).
In addition to the league competitions in the individual countries, there are also international tournaments. Among the most important are:
- Olympic Games.
- FIBA World Championships (club and national team).
- FIBA Continental Championships (in Europe, the Eurobasket tournament).
- Euroleague.
- FIBA 3×3 World Championships.
Betting on basketball matches
Basketball breaks records in popularity, especially in the United States. Both the US national team and clubs have the highest number of victories at various major international tournaments. The Polish national team has not enjoyed as much success (although in 2019 the red and white team unexpectedly finished 8th at the World Championships). The Poles did quite well in the 1960s, when we won two bronze medals and one silver at the European Championships. Nevertheless, even nowadays there is no shortage of basketball fans and this translates into the popularity of the sport in bookmaker betting. There is no shortage of bookmakers offering basketball bets on the internet.
To start betting on basketball matches, you need to register an account on the bookmaker's website. In numerous instances, we will already receive an attractive bookmaker bonus for the registration itself. Its most common forms include a free first bet, a risk-free bet, or a classic deposit bonus. Many bookmakers offer live betting if we want to bet on basketball parallel to the game in progress at the time. This is an interesting additional option in addition to the standard short-term bets (on a specific match during a tournament) and long-term bets (on the winner of an entire tournament or league season, for example).
Bookmaker event markets
The specific nature of basketball allows us to develop a wide variety of bets that we can place with a bookmaker. The most popular event markets include:
- Betting on the outcome of the match - in this case, we are dealing with two types: a three-way bet and a two-way bet. As the result of the match can end in a draw in regular time, we have three options to choose from: a win for team 1, a win for team 2 or a draw. In the case of overtime, a winner must already have been determined, so we can only bet on one team or the other.
- Quarter or half-time bet - Betting on which team will win the quarter or half-time of the match.
- Over/Under - Betting on the number of points scored by one or both teams
- Handicap - to predict which team will win or lose based on the number of points
- Player scoring - prediction of how many points a particular player will score, but also for example assists, rebounds or blocks
- Team scoring - deciding whether a team will exceed the points threshold set by the bookmaker
- Even / odd score
The above examples are just some of the basketball bets available on the internet. Much depends on the specific bookmaker and the rank of the match, so it is worth comparing the offers of different bookmakers and not limiting yourself to one.
How to bet more effectively on basketball matches?
Knowledge and analysis of the situation and previous matches are key when betting on online sports. What is necessary to analyse when betting on basketball is for sure:
- Statistics - knowledge of statistics is practically essential when betting on basketball. Particularly relevant will be statistics on specific players.
- Injuries - it is worth keeping track of information regarding the health and form of individual basketball players and basketball players.
- Phase of the season - the potential, motivation and form of teams can change depending on when they meet in the season. Favoured teams may also save their strength during some of the less important games.
- Venue of the game - as with virtually any sport, the team playing on its home court is usually better able to cope with stress and can potentially have a better chance of winning.
A lot can happen during a basketball game, which is why betting on the sport is so interesting. The relative complexity of the rules while at the same time the friendly way in which points are counted makes more and more people bet on basketball. Good luck and make as many three-pointers as possible for the team you are betting on!
