Since the launch of satellite television, sports coverage and sports betting have gone hand in hand. This is most evident in the growth of rugby league. Since the beginning of summer rugby league, betting on the sport has increased dramatically with bookmakers now offering a variety of markets on a number of different competitions.
The most popular and certainly the biggest from a sports betting point of view is Super League, where the teams play 28 regular-season games before the play-offs, which then determine the Grand Final winner. With live matches shown on TV most Friday and Saturday evenings and the sport emerging from football’s shadow thanks to its summer slot, it’s easy to see why there has been a boom in rugby betting, and the number of choices for punters is not far behind football, though turnover is obviously still well beneath the kind of levels that the Premiership and Champions League attract.
The majority of bookmakers offer match betting, winning margins and first try scorer options, as well as under/over points on live matches, but the favourite form of rugby league sports betting is the handicap because the uncompetitive nature of many Super League match-ups often lead to one team being excessively odds-on to win the match for most punter’s liking. So what is the best way to make any money from betting on the Super League? Most obvious would be the ability of the teams to be taken into consideration, however, it is imperative to check the weather before getting stuck in. Some teams play better in the rain and cold than others. It makes sense to side with those who get a start in the wet and betting on a low points total, either on the spreads or with traditional bookmakers, but the rain factor is often overlooked by the more casual punter, who is just desperate to have a bet.
The best way of using the weather to your advantage is to know your teams. You should ask yourself questions like: Do team A like to play an open, expansive style of rugby? Do they continually try to offload in the tackle? and, is their game plan all about attempting to outscore the opposition? If the answer to these questions is yes, then the likelihood is they are a side best suited to playing in dry conditions where points are easier to come by and passing and creative rugby is much easier to pull off. On the other side of the coin are the teams who go through the forwards and rely on territorial advantage to squeeze the life out of the opposition, and who usually have more joy in the rain.
However, to be successful in this or any other form of sports betting it is still important to be up to date with the latest news and it is always a good idea to read the trade papers , which provide match previews, reports and news from all the clubs in Britain and Australia. Team news is another important factor but be careful of stories that claim that one side is struggling with a lot of injuries. More often than not, these are just rumours and it is amazing how often a player is listed as doubtful yet makes a full recovery to line up with the rest of the team!
Pamela Mitchell has contributed to numerous sports betting [http://www.bettingtoday.co.uk/category/sports-betting-online] sites and has authored several ‘How To’ articles at [http://www.bettingtoday.co.uk] addressing topics that include online casino, online bingo and poker.