To sign up for our daily email newsletter, CLICK HERE
Sports betting, both online and in person is a global phenomenon. Even through uncertain economic times, it’s continued to thrive and produce record revenue numbers year-on-year.
The rise in digital sportsbooks has had a positive impact on the sector, while new regulations in the USA, which legalized sports betting in 2018, have been the main driver in recent years.
More and more people are taking up online betting, but if you’re new to the scene, which sports should you look out for in 2024 and beyond?
Soccer
On a global scale, soccer is the most popular sport among the betting community. Horse racing had traditionally been number one, but the increase in tournaments and televised games has driven soccer’s profile.
It has a huge following among spectators, and that’s a key reason why soccer is popular amongst bettors. The fast paced nature of the game is perfect for live betting enthusiasts, while soccer also provides a wider choice of markets than other sports.
In 2024, a number of top class international tournaments will maintain soccer’s status as the number one. The Africa Cup of Nations, the Asia Cup, and the European Championships will see interest continue to grow throughout the calendar year.
NFL
The National Football League is the most popular competition in the United States, and it is the most popular betting option in the country. While it is considered to be the national sport, American football also enjoys a large global following.
It’s a slower sport than soccer, but the length of each game makes it another regular choice for those who like to stake in the in-play markets. Like soccer, NFL matches also produce an extensive set of betting markets.
All of the focus on NFL betting goes on the regular and postseason, while the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of the sport, and staking activity will intensify in the first week of February.
Cricket
Cricket is a historic sport, but it’s a relatively new success story as far as betting is concerned. That’s because a new format of the game has made the sport more exciting, and it’s attracted a bigger global audience.
More countries are playing cricket than ever before, and there are major domestic tournaments throughout the world. 2024 will also see a Cricket World Cup in the T20 format, which will be jointly hosted by the United States and the West Indies.
Away from international competition, the Indian Premier League is the biggest domestic cricket tournament, while other important national events include the Caribbean Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, and the Big Bash in Australia.
The rise in cricket as a sport means that the game is now played all year round with a much higher density of matches. This is an additional factor to attract the interest of the betting community.
Golf
This isn’t a Ryder Cup year, but golf will continue to be one of the most popular options for sports bettors. With two main tours on either side of the Atlantic, it means that there are tournaments taking place all throughout the year, except for a small break at Christmas.
Golf has four key competitions – The US Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship. Betting will intensify in the weeks leading up to each event, but there will be interest in all of the regular weekly tournaments too.
With so many players in contention, it’s tougher to pick an outright winner, but bettors are drawn to golf because of the high amount of additional markets. It’s possible to stake on Top Five and Top Ten Finishes, plus first round leaders, while most sportsbooks will match golfers and publish head-to-head markets.
Tennis
Tennis is another year-round sport which has traditionally been popular with the betting community. This also has four major events throughout the year which are known as Grand Slams. The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Championships and US Open, are the big four in question.
As with golf, there are many weekly competitions and a host of side bets to keep players interested.
These are just some of the most popular sports to bet on in 2024. Along with those that have made the list, customers will also look out for horse racing, rugby, cycling, motorsport, baseball and basketball amongst others.-
While there will never be any guarantees with sports betting, these disciplines are popular because they are fun, but also because they offer many opportunities to land a win.
It’s not all about betting on the match result, and we’ve seen how each of these sports offers an extensive set of side markets to consider.
Sports betting is all about choice, and while each bookmaker will publish many core and niche events, these options will continue to be popular throughout 2024 and for many more years to come.
