Back in 2018, the US Federal Supreme Court repealed a national ban on sports betting. The move led to a heyday of sports betting in the country. In other locations, such as Europe, sportsbooks had been a part of the local sporting culture for decades.
However, the USA’s recent interest in oddsmakers has helped foster more interest in betting on North American leagues nationally and abroad. After all, there aren’t many other markets that cover the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and other North American sports leagues.
Most new punters utilize their free bet offers from top sportsbooks on moneylines and point spreads. These cover the outcomes of a match in terms of outright winner and margin of victory. However, one of the most exciting ways to wager on major league sports is through prop bets.
Prop bets cover outcomes within a specific match that are unrelated to the final outcome. Many times, prop bets cover individual players, offering odds on whether they’ll surpass a league or personal record, or at what point they might score, or how they might score.
But prop bets also cover non-sporting topics related to larger events. For example, some sportsbooks offered odds on the presidential election, while others covered the halftime performance at the Super Bowl.
Let’s look at five reasons prop bets are worth exploring for first-time punters.
Test Player Knowledge in a Game
Most sports fans have a favorite player or team that they follow closely. Many can name off stats for the current season, or even previous seasons. Prop bets are ideal for these types of fans because they allow them to wager on specific outcomes in relation to a single star.
For example, a punter could wager on whether or not Randy Arozarena will hit a home run in 2020’s World Series. They could also bet on whether Mookie Betts would hit .5 runs scored and whether Cody Bellinger would reach over .5 total bases.
Forecast Player Stats
Prop bets let punters dive deep into a player’s performance in a single game, but they can do the same for an upcoming season. Most top players will break personal or league records as they hit the top of their game, which makes futures prop bets popular as well.
For example, now that the NFL season start is approaching, punters can bet on how many passing yards a QB will throw for, how many rushing yards a wide receiver will cover, and more. These are some of the most popular ways to wager on the NFL prior to the season start.
Entertainment Value
There’s another reason that prop bets are popular for first-time punters—and it has nothing to do with having a base of statistical knowledge. Prop bets do well with casual sports fans because they’re fun.
For example, one sportsbook offered lines on the last PGA Major on when certain players known for having potty mouths would curse audibly for the first time. Another wager covered what color audacious dresser Rickie Fowler would wear. Don’t know anything about golf, and don’t particularly care to learn? Prop bets are right for you.
Non-Sporting Elements
Though cursing and dressing with flare are only very loosely related to golf, both wagers are attached to a PGA Tour event. However, prop bets cover way more than the world of sports. As mentioned above, a few US oddsmakers offered lines on the 2020 presidential election.
Other events that punters can wager on include American Idol results, Dancing with the Stars results, and which artists will be honored at the Oscars.
Sunday Funday
The NFL’s Super Bowl Championship Game is one of the most bet-on and watched sporting events in the world. As such, the betting market surrounding the game is one of the most developed prop markets available for punters.
Bettors can wager on: game results, player stats, the halftime performance, TV ads that are broadcast at the time of the game, the national anthem performer, what color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach, and whether the Super Bowl MVP will thank god or their family first in a post-game interview.
