In 2018, the US Supreme Court decided to wipe out the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, better known under its acronym PASPA, and open the doors for nationwide sports wagering. Per the latest American Gaming Association assessment, this US gambling sector should be on course to pull in $40 billion in annual revenues by 2030, with this market estimated to generate $9.65 billion in 2024.
Aside from its substantial revenue potential, the US market stands out because of its premium college sports competitions. Without argument, no other nation on Earth has as developed amateur tournaments as those featured at the college level in the US, nor amateur ones that draw as much interest as March Madness or NCAA football games do. Hence, these also see sizeable betting, particularly of the in-game kind.
What Is In-Game Betting?
In-game betting, also called live wagering or in-play gambling, is the ability to place a stake in a sporting event while it is still happening. Sportsbook operators continuously change the odds on those games that list this feature, reflecting in-match happenings. For instance, a game may list a favorite to win by -150. Yet, if that team is down by a specific number of points by halftime, the odds will reflect this, and it will no longer get favored to win, as the pre-match underdog will get the winning odds. Thus, dynamic odds are the key distinctive element of this gambling form.
To make things easier, games that allow this option usually get accompanied by a real-time tracker feature that lists robust sets of data about the event as it transpires, and some sites may even have live streams. The cash-out feature is also a popular addition to many Internet bookies, dramatically enhancing the live betting experience. It allows bettors to settle their wagers before the conclusion of a game. The availability of this feature varies, but it should be on hand at the top New Jersey online casino and sports betting brands. But it will not be available for all events.
Live Wagering for College Sports
Live betting for college sports should be found at most top US-licensed Internet bookmakers. Nonetheless, some may not allow this option because of state-distinct regulations, which may have in place restrictions for these kinds of bets, especially regarding college sports. The omission of college events may result from suspicious developments like rumors concerning potential point shaving or curious line/odds movements, which indicate looming foul play. For these reasons, player prop markets are far more likely to be missing from amateur events.
Now, if live wagering gets provided at a specific site, it will be similar to betting on professional events as they occur. But, as mentioned, there will probably be fewer markets listed. For many, this is for fair play/integrity purposes in contests where competitors are not paid for participation. Therefore, they are more prone to getting bribes for match-fixing.
How College Sports Betting Enhances Engagement
Undoubtedly, having something staked in a game aside from emotions adds an extra layer of excitement. It makes competitions more compelling. And this can help build a team’s or sports fanbase. Furthermore, betting on an event as it happens boosts its interactivity for viewers. It amplifies watchers’ immersion degree, positively affecting attendance figures and TV ratings.
The more elements of interaction an event can have, the higher the likelihood that people will get drawn to it. The more individuals are into an activity, the higher the chances they build a sense of community. Betting facilitates all this for all sports, including college ones.
The Uneasy Relationship Between Betting & College Sports
As noted in the intro, pre-2018, legal gambling on college sports was not a thing, something the NCAA fully supported. Yet, after the 2018 PASPA Supreme Court ruling, despite the resistance of the NCAA, athletes and schools entered into sportsbook partnerships, and now millions of fans have wagered billions on NCAA events.
Recent developments have produced doubts concerning whether betting on college games should still be allowed. With the sponsorship conundrum to the side, multiple outcome-meddling scandals have popped up in the past few years. For example, Alabama baseball games got removed from bookmakers because of irregular bets, a notable public occurrence that led to staff firings. Simultaneously, the University of Iowa and Iowa State faced investigations involving potential athletes in sports gambling. Nonetheless, even with these incidents, college sports wagering continues to grow in the US, with the AGA estimating that 68 million Americans gamble on the NCAA Division I tournaments.
To Wrap Up
The US gambling seismic shift of 2018 added the ability for Americans to bet on college sports, not just letting them lay down bets before such events start but as they are going on. Loads of US residents are now taking advantage of this feature. They are drawn to it by the ability to watch college sports at Internet sportsbooks and enjoy dynamic odds movements while getting fed vast sets of data about transpiring events.
