Sports

Questions tagged [betting]

Ask Question

Questions about the role(s) of betting in sports.

37 questions
Newest
Active
Bountied
Unanswered
Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
10
votes
3answers
1k views

How do NFL teams do in their last game if they have already clinched a playoff spot?

Do they tend to rest their good players so they don't have as many injuries going into the playoffs? Basically, I'm wondering if I should bet against teams with playoff locks if the matchup is close......
8
votes
1answer
3k views

How do bookmakers get the lines so close on sports betting?

How is it that a bookmaker can offer a basketball game with say a +10.5 handicap on Team A, and the game finishes 110-100 or 101-90? The same thing seems to happen with the point total, they'll set ...
8
votes
2answers
17k views

Why do odds offered by the bookmakers tend to change rapidly during the last few minutes before the start of the game?

On several occasions, when checking odds offered by bookmakers, I have noticed that they have been changing rapidly as the time of the event get closer. (This was particularly noticeable during the ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views

Why is betting on yourself in a sporting event considered unethical?

I understand all the problems that a sports player betting against themselves can cause, but what is the harm caused by betting for oneself or one's team to win (note I am not saying win by X points, ...
7
votes
0answers
167 views

Oddsmakers, Betmakers and Sportsbooks: Who does what?

Brand new to sports betting here, and am wondering if there is a technical difference between: The oddsmaker; and The betmaker; and The sportsbook These terms seem interchangeable on some sites/...
6
votes
1answer
15k views

Win-Place-Show in Horse Racing

Horse racing (such as the Kentucky Derby) results usually contains the terms Win, Place, and Show, with the horse associated with each term. What is win, place, and show, and what significance does ...
6
votes
2answers
4k views

Is sport betting legal in Europe or America?

I tried to google, but could not get a clear picture. It is illegal in India to Bet on sports like cricket and football. Is it true that betting is not prohibited in USA or the European countries? I ...
5
votes
3answers
10k views

Was Pete Rose busted for betting against his own team?

I understand the reason for the MLB's ban on betting against one's own team, but I don't understand why it is forbidden to bet for one's own team. Which did Pete Rose get busted for, and why is it ...
5
votes
1answer
856 views

Sports odds explanation for NFL

I'm looking at sports odds at for the first time and am a little confused. I understands that if ATS (against the spread) is negative, then the home team is predicted to win. Also, SP (spread) ...
5
votes
2answers
208 views

Is betting on oneself to win or lose legal?

Is it legal for a player to bet on himself or on his team to win? to lose? For example, could a player from Chelsea FC bet that his team will win the Champions League next year? Or could Cristiano ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views

Asian handicap bets combination

What happens if I bet on 5 games over 1.0/1.5 goals and 3 of them ended over 1.5, but the rest two only with one goal? How is the outcome calculated?
4
votes
1answer
2k views

How is potential profit from an arbitrage bet (a.k.a. surebet) calculated?

Arbitrage bet or surebet means betting on all possible outcomes in which you make profit independently on the result of the event. How exactly can I calculate whether given odds form an arbitrage and ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views

Why do some bookmakers have minimum odds requirements on free bet promotions?

I have noticed that some bookmakers will offer free bets but have a condition that in order for the winnings to be withdrawn they must be placed on bets with at least 1/5 odds for example. If I have a ...
4
votes
1answer
297 views

NFL betting odds during game

I have a couple of basic questions about NFL betting. Are betting odds set in stone before the game begins, or do they evolve with the progression of the game? What are "closing odds?" ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views

Combining Bets in sports

I am trying to come up with the most lopsided bet I could possibly do for the upcoming Barcelona vs Juventus final. I have a question about whether or not combining bets is possible. For this example,...
3
votes
1answer
165 views

Do sportsbooks structure “lossless” bets?

Brand new to sportsbetting here, and am trying to understand something. Does the oddsmaker/betmaker ever stand to lose money, or do they structure their offered bets in such a way that they always ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views

How do bookies calculate parimutuel place odds (in horse racing) shown before a race starts?

For horse racing, betting sites show win and place odds for parimutuel pools before a race starts. In my understanding, calculating place odds requires knowing which runners place, as explained here: ...
3
votes
1answer
338 views

betting - do favorites get undervalued quotes?

I came across an example of a job interview question related to betting and want to ask the opinion of experts as my betting knowledge is very basic. Here is the question: "Do you think favorites ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views

How to calculate the far and near price of betfair?

The documentation on Betfair for calculating near and far prices is quite brief. Could anyone here provide me with a worked example of how to calculate the far and near price for this data from ...
3
votes
2answers
82 views

Placing a bet by the athlete himself [closed]

Can a player place a bet on himself for winning a sports event? For example a tennis player places a bet on himself for winning a match or a Grand Slam tournament? Obviously he can't place bet on ...
3
votes
1answer
9k views

What's the point of a half-point line?

In football betting, a "line" is provided by which the favorite team needs to win, in order for bettors to win that game. Sometimes the line is x.5 points. If it's impossible to gain half-points in ...
3
votes
1answer
145 views

Before the season began, what odds did Vegas give the Orioles of winning the AL East in 2014?

Looking at various websites' pre-season predictions for the major league baseball teams, many at places like ESPN and MLB.com had the Red Sox and Rangers doing very well and the Orioles typically out ...
2
votes
2answers
398 views

Betting on even quotas

Assume that you want to bet for football game and the odds are as following: Victory Team 1: 2.30 No Winner: 3.00 Victory Team 2: 2.30 Is it correct, that in this case, the bookie considers both ...
2
votes
2answers
55 views

What happens to American odds when the point spread gets further from zero?

I am learning about American odds (moneyline odds) and point spreads. In Chapter 2 of Sports Betting for Dummies, I see: When the point spread on a game gets further from zero, the two moneyline bets ...
2
votes
2answers
684 views

Relationship between Winning Margin and Point Spread in NBA Betting

For an NBA game, I see a market for Spread and one for Winning Margin. The Spread market lists "Team A -5.5: 10/11". The Winning Margin markets lists "Team A, 6 points or more: 3/4". Shouldn't the ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views

What does “dividend” mean in the context of betting?

For example: Tote - The organisation appointed to receive bets and supply dividends in proportion to the amount of the investment. A body in the UK set up to operate pool-betting on all racecourses....
2
votes
1answer
248 views

Who is the “winner” of each leg of a two-legged football match, or a match that goes to penalties?

Match #1 Europa League, quarter-finals, 2nd leg: After 90 minutes Besiktas was up 2-1 against Lyon. Because of the aggregate score of 3-3 (Lyon won 2-1 in the 1st leg) they had to play extra time and ...
2
votes
0answers
24 views

How soon do bookies make betting odds available and why at that time?

In a league where all games are known when the league starts, how soon before the game starts do bookies provide pre-match odds? I have noticed that odds for all games in a league, like the English ...
2
votes
0answers
193 views

Good resources for soccer statistics, news, etc? [closed]

I recently got $200 on a sports betting website as a gift from a friend, they have different sports but I am most interested in soccer. I have 0 experience in betting, and I also don't know much about ...
1
vote
1answer
205 views

What type of mathematics do you use in sports betting?

I'm new to betting and want to know what type of mathematics are used in sports betting. I found something with Google about systems for betting but it didn't help me a lot. I also tried to find ...
1
vote
1answer
481 views

shortest odds in a top-class horse race

In his final non-walkover race, the 150 Guineas at Newmarket in 1770, the undefeated Eclipse was offered odds of 1/70. These odds seem remarkable. Are there prominent examples of shorter odds in top-...
1
vote
0answers
61 views

The mathematics behind Over/Under Pricing with Integer Goals

I'm trying to understand whole number goals in Over Under betting. They are described as follows: https://betdaqhelp.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/157/~/what-are-under%2Fover-markets I am ...
1
vote
0answers
603 views

How is the Odds Shark “Predicted Score” calculated?

I was looking for some statistics for research reasons on past game history and stumbled upon "Predicted Score". Then, I decided to try to figure out how this statistic is being calculated and could ...
1
vote
0answers
373 views

How are half-winning or half-losing or refund states treated in a multibet form?

How is the prize calculated when there are half-winning or half-losing or refund states in a multibet form? Does it matter if more than one bet is a half-winner or a half-loser, or a combination of ...
0
votes
1answer
82 views

Betting value, with our without bookmaker margin

I am trying to find the value of a bet, with my percentage, that some team will win to see if i think there is value in some bet. My question is, should i include the bookmakers margin, when i ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views

In the NFL, how have teams fared against odds from Las Vegas?

Is a home team more or less likely to beat the spread than an away team? Do favored teams or underdogs win against the spread more often? Please include statistics/studies instead of just guessing. ...
-1
votes
1answer
98 views

Why can't I find any point-spread information about the World Cup of rugby?

All I can find is various predictions about the winners of games. Doesn't the margin of victory mean anything in this sport?