Biggest Sports Events Across the World to Bet on

It is a fun way to spend your free time is to watch a sporting event with a glass of beer in your hand. We know — it sounds just perfect. But there is an additional option to make things even better: engage in some sports betting. Making bets on football, hockey, and your other favorite events gives you even more motivation to watch as many sports as possible (while possibly making a lot of money). But which events should you wager on? Let us guide you a bit and share a list of the biggest sporting events. You can bet on any of them and use an opportunity to win big.

1. NCAA Basketball Tournament

For a few weeks each year, everyone checks what happens on the courts of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball. It is the most famous basketball competition. Consequently, it has turned into one of the most popular sports betting options. According to the AGA estimates, Americans spent $8.5 billion on sports betting at 1x bet during the championship. Not only that but about one in every five adults placed a wager. The bulk of the money comes from bracket betting, with 40 million individuals taking a total of $4.6 billion in the hope that one of their 149 million brackets is accurate.

Keep in mind that not all of the betting was legal. According to the AGA, 2.4 million individuals placed illegal bets with bookies, while another 5.2 million bet online via an illegal offshore site. Still, if you’re ready to do things the right way, such as betting at a licensed sportsbook, you have a good chance of winning big if you choose the appropriate bracket.

2. NFL Championship

It is the most-watched athletic event. So, of course, fans will be betting on their favorite team to win. In fact, the AGA estimates that Americans gambled $4.76 billion on the NFL championship game in 2018. While this is a mind-blowing sum, bear in mind that they anticipated that 97 percent of it would be done illegally, such as via office pools, illicit local bookies, or overseas sportsbooks. Despite all of this illegal betting, there are a stunning amount of bets made at reputable outlets. Nevada received $138.48 million in bets during the 2017 Big Game alone.

3. MLB Championship Series

Another opportunity to place your bets is during the Major League Baseball championship game. This seven-game championship series gives players several opportunities to put wagers. While specific data for the amount of bets made during this event are unavailable, bookmakers in Nevada received $1.1 billion in professional baseball bets in 2017. While some of this occurred throughout the season, most of it is thought to have occurred during the final games. These are the most widely watched.

If you watched the championship series, the name of Jim McIngvale may be familiar to you. In fact, he is known among many, especially those who follow the link here and place bets online. In fact, the men made a $3.5 million wager on the Astros to win it all. It is one of the highest bets ever accepted by a bookmaker in the United States. Unfortunately for him, the Astros lost, but if they had won, he would have received a net $7.7 million.

4. March Madness

With a total of 67 games to bet on over three weeks, March Madness, is one of the world’s most actively gambled athletic events. And the figures from the NCAA’s annual men’s college basketball tournament are just huge. Thus, the AGA anticipated that more than 45 million American adults would bet up to $3.1 billion on it.

It didn’t hurt that the men’s tournament championship featured two of the most powerful college basketball programs. These are Kansas and North Carolina. After the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Tar Heels 72-69, the ultimate gambling totals became more apparent. To put the figures in context, Illinois casinos earned roughly $300 million throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, in Nevada, betting on basketball (both collegiate and professional) generated more than $700 million in March alone. This astonishing amount was 50% greater than the prior month.

Sports Betting Can Bring You Big Money. If Done Properly

The numbers in sports betting are just astonishing, to say the least. Bet large or bet small — it all adds up to a multimillion-dollar business. Of course, there are professional bettors who seem to live by the “bet large or go home” rule. But we recommend that you follow a more balanced approach.