Once upon a time, watching sports was all about following your favourite teams, as doing so added a layer of excitement and personal connection to your experience. In contrast, watching a random team play or certain players compete wasn’t usually as thrilling, though there was no question that we appreciated their talent.
The betting boom effectively changed this, allowing sports fans to get invested in even the most trivial matchups, including in sports they never previously took an interest in. So, whether you’re an avid bettor or just looking to get in on the action, here’s a breakdown of the sports that are bet on the most.
Football (Soccer)
It’s not exactly a secret that football is the most popular sport to bet on worldwide. It’s safe to say that the majority of the world loves football, with an estimated 5 billion football fans worldwide. Not only does the sport have a massive fan base, but it also has an unmatched diversity compared to other sports. With so many different high-stakes tournaments and well-developed leagues in play, viewers have betting opportunities practically 365 days a year. That’s a stark contrast in comparison to the 5-month yearly stint of NFL football, for example. We’ve given the sport its credit, but what about the betting itself? With such a wide range of betting options, including corners, over/unders, goal scorers, and other player propositions, soccer is certainly tons of fun to wager on.
American Football
Although the NFL (and CFL in Canada) has traditionally drawn in a somewhat niche crowd of American and Canadian fans, its efforts to expand its appeal and presence internationally have changed that trajectory. With the NFL International Series, professional football games have been played in the UK, Germany, Brazil, and Mexico City, with plans to expand to Spain in 2025. American football is a heavily strategic game that hinges on play calling, tactics, situational strategy, and clock management. As betting relies on statistics, it makes the sport a perfect fit. Bettors enjoy putting together intricate parlays that feature everything from point spreads to anytime touchdowns to get a return on their investment.
Basketball
Basketball is a dream for live betting fans, as scores change practically by the second, and the action never ends. For those who aren’t interested in waiting around to see results, like with baseball, basketball offers the ideal contrast with fast-paced game dynamics. While basketball wasn’t always the most globally renowned sport, it has gained a lot of traction over the last few decades thanks to star players, the global marketing efforts of the NBA, and the Olympics working to increase visibility. Just like with American football, people enjoy betting on basketball through parlays, combining popular wager options like scoring, halftime betting, moneylines, player props, point spreads, and total points to create their very own high-stakes mix. Player propositions get interesting in basketball, as they can revolve around role-specific performances, such as a point guard getting a specific number of three-pointers.
Baseball
Baseball is famously centred around the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball League and Major League Baseball in the United States. Where the MLB stands out, however, is the sheer length of the regular season, with 162 games for each team. For betting, that means ample opportunity to learn the dynamics of the teams, game trends, and player performances so they can adjust their strategies and improve their likelihood of striking gold. Baseball, in general, is also the most statistically driven sport out there, with detailed metrics tracked by innovative technologies like batting average, exit velocity, pitch tracking, and slugging percentage. If you’re the type of bettor who likes to have information at your fingertips to inform your decisions, you won’t find another sport that compares to baseball.
Hockey
Hockey is a sport that accommodates amateur and seasoned bettors. It keeps everyone hooked with its speedy momentum, abundance of games throughout the week, and the intensity of the competition. The sport combines the fast-paced nature of basketball, for example, with the lower-scoring nature of football and adds in the tradition of fighting on the ice, making each game unpredictable and fun to watch. Those who aren’t as experienced in betting can simply enjoy the action and put a wager down on basic betting markets like the moneyline, total goals, and goalscoring. At the same time, experienced bettors might look at assists and shots on goal and track advanced statistics that could affect team performance.
MMA
Bellator, ONE Championship, and especially the UFC have risen to global fame because of streaming and broadcasting deals. Because of the sport’s format, betting has also become a natural part of MMA culture, with some of the biggest bets in sports history made on these events—for example, Conor McGregor’s $1 million bet on Alex Pereira vs Khalil Rountree Jr. ending in a KO. In contrast to the other team sports we’ve covered, MMA is all about cutthroat one-on-one competition backed by dramatic storylines and rivalries and the potentiality of an underdog victory. Betting even on something as typically basic as the moneyline is an experience, as absolutely anything could happen, even on a -500 favourite.
Alternative Gambling Options
No matter how you dice it, betting—especially online—can be lucrative and fun. But if sports betting isn’t your thing, why not try this link to explore the best PayPal casinos in New Zealand instead? While it’s not the same as watching a live game unfold, the wide range of options available offer plenty of other thrills. No matter what you decide to bet on, just make sure you do so for the fun of it and know when to call it quits.