• By: Allen Brown

Three reasons why betting on less popular sports is a smart move

For the most part, everyone who thinks of sports betting, immediately brings sports like football, basketball, baseball, cricket etc. in mind, simply because these sports are particularly hyped when it comes to people’s choices in wagering. And these sports are what the greatest majority of top bookmakers, including the best Canadian betting sites, focus upon more intensively, in their effort to respond more effectively and efficiently to market requirements and trends. 

Statistical evidence reveals that popular sports and leagues generate more than 80% of the total bet tickets all over the world, with some sports holding the dominant share of this 80% as well -especially football and basketball. But this doesn’t mean that all other not-so-mainstreamed sports or non-marquee leagues are in one way or another inferior or of less interest when it comes to betting. 

In fact, if you think about it, these not so popular sports and leagues, may have some unique things to offer to sports bettors and this is why they should not be omitted or disregarded by those who are looking to gain some profits from wagering. 

For example, some bookmakers offer opportunities to bet on sumo, one of Japan’s traditional sports. Sumo’s betting options are primarily just 1×2, whose odds tend to stay high. While each match takes only about one minute, there’re tournaments every other month and people can enjoy sumo betting all year around.

Let’s see the basic reasons why betting on less popular sports is indeed a smart move on the part of bettors. 

1. Less popular sports and leagues often come with more attractive odds

Betting on non-marquee sports can be very lucrative. The reason for this is that most of the top bookmakers, including betting sites in Canada, will not commit as many resources to odds setting in sports or leagues that are not expected to attract a large volume of bets and so it is quite often that the odds are high or at least they are not close to the real chances of an event, let’s say happening. 

Put in other words, you might eventually end up with more profits if you bet strategically and successfully on such sports. And the truth is that it is not hard to find these sports as they are not only offered by widespread, global bookies, but also by sportsbooks in more focused markets such as Bettingmalaysia.online. 

2. Sharp action is more detectable in less popular sports and leagues

One of the basic strategies of successful bettors is to follow and effectively read line movement, something which can be done really well in sports and leagues where the sharp bettors’ moves are more obvious. When there is a sudden change in line movement in sports or leagues that are not so popular, then this is probably due to sharp bettors and of course this is probably something that every bettor would like to be able to identify and follow!

3. Bettors’ insights might matter more

In sports and leagues where bookmakers don’t pay so much attention – as the big sports that accumulate the vast majority of bets – your insights or any kind of edge that you might have, will in the end matter more in terms of value. If you are dedicated to winning in not-so-popular sports, then it is easier when your edge brings you ahead of the house. And given that the house is not so much bothered with non-marquee sports, then having an edge will pay off. 

Well, betting on less popular sports can be very lucrative, but we need to acknowledge some limitations which might bring some kind of discomfort to punters. 

Non-marquee sports or leagues are offered with far less betting markets and there is generally a very limited variety in the options provided by the bookmakers. This makes the whole market somehow constrained.

Moreover, less popular sports usually don’t make news headlines and there is far less material to research and read about if you want to obtain some kind of edge that will help you beat the house. 

It is more, therefore, a matter of how much knowledge you have over the sport or the league and how much time you devote to follow the teams or the players of the sport to become more proficient in making predictions and betting. But the truth is that if you manage to do so, betting on less popular sports and games can really pay off.