$70 billion is spent on sports betting every year. That’s a lot of cash floating around and if luck and research are kind, you could get a slice of it for yourself.
One of the big question sports betters ask is whether they should bet on a team or a player. As I explain below, both have their plus points – it will be up to you to decide which ones are more important to you when placing a bet.
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Why should you bet on a sports team when gambling?
Betting on sports teams is enormously popular, so much so that in some countries it’s become part of the routine of being a sports fan – in the UK, the home of the Premier League, sports team betting is often portrayed as a communal activity that brings friends closer together.
There are so many great reasons to bet on a sports team, some of which you don’t get (at least not in the same way) from betting on an individual sports player:
It spreads the risk by making the result about more than one person’s performance
It’s often a more predictable way of betting because a team’s form is easier to gauge
One of the sports bets that are popular to make on teams is accumulator bets. This type of bet sees you bet on the outcome of a series of team results. They’re a great value bet because a small wager could win you a huge amount of money!
Why should you bet on a sports player when gambling?
Betting on players has become increasingly popular as data has made its way into sports. Today you can get detailed breakdowns of where a sportsperson has the potential to grow, develop, and deliver better value results than the odds suggest – it’s the Moneyball principle.
There are many good arguments for betting on sports players, with plenty of these being (often) unique to individuals rather than teams:
There can be more control over the result of your bet because it rides on one person
You may find that there are a wider range of bets you can make on a sportsperson
While there are many bets you can place on sporting individuals, the best ones to make are often those that have a points-based system attached to them. By this, I mean things such as betting on the highest scoring player. These are good because they attach an individual competitive element to them, potentially incentivizing players to achieve them.
Conclusion: it’s great betting on both teams & players
It may feel as though team betting spreads the risk. It may also feel like the bets you place on players is safer because they concern only one individual. However, risk exists in both types of wagers and there’s no such thing as a safe bet.
Ultimately, it might depend on the type of gambler you are – player betting could be said to be more appealing to data-loving gamblers, while team gambling might be more suited to gut-instinct betters.
In addition to this, the odds and selection of bets depend on what’s being offered by the bookmakers, an online casino (like Betfred), or the land casino you bet at – some are geared towards individuals, while others are more beneficial for team betting.
My personal view is that team betting probably offers you better value for money, by virtue of accumulator bets. However, both sports and team betting offer a great way of betting, as it adds a little spice to when you watch sports games!
