Sports gambling is now legal in 33 states across the US. Many jurisdictions allow online betting although a few of them insist on in-person sportsbooks.
In North Carolina, in-person betting became legal in 2021. Gov. Roy Cooper signed a law to legalize mobile betting in June this year. Legal online betting means you no longer have to leave your house to predict sports matches.
You can now bet online safely within the state. The best sportsbooks have exclusive promotions for North Carolina bettors. Usually, they match your first deposit 100% for up to $1000. You can use your bonus to bet on football, basketball, baseball, or international soccer games.
However, don’t rush into placing your first bet. Winning in sports betting takes more than luck. It’s a skill. Follow our tips below to become a better sports gambler.
#1: Choose a Reputable Sportsbook
A good sportsbook can make your betting experience delightful. Think about this. Quick deposits, an extensive list of sports, competitive odds, and exclusive bonuses—these are the features that make betting exciting.
Quick deposits allow you to bet on any match before it happens. And if it’s already begun, you can bet on the game through live betting. Bonuses boost your bankroll while quality odds maximize your winning potential.
An unreliable sportsbook can make you abhor betting. Your deposit might take forever to reflect in your account. You may get a bonus. However, the terms are usually harsh. Then the odds can be poor or the bookie may fail to process your withdrawal request.
#2: Understand How Odds Work
Betting sites in the US use Las Vegas-style odds. With these odds, sportsbooks show you how much money you can win if you bet $100. Internationally, bookies use decimals and fractions to display odds.
American odds challenge you to bet on the favorite or the underdog in every match. They include a + or – sign for every bet. The + sign shows you a team or athlete is the underdog. A – sign depicts the favorite.
Let’s explain with an example. The Charlotte Hornets have +200 odds to beat Miami Heat (-150) in a game. The home team is the underdog. If you bet $100 on Charlotte, you will win $200.
Miami is favored to win. As such, you need to spend $150 to win $100 from the Heat. In both cases, you also receive your original bet amount back after a victory.
#3: Select the Right Bets
The number of bets you can place at modern sportsbooks is overwhelming. Start simple by focusing on the three main bet types:
- Moneyline
- Spreads
- Totals
Moneyline is a bet on the winner. Spreads challenge you to predict the margin of victory. On the other hand, totals are a prediction of the total number of points scored in a match.
After you’ve become an experienced bettor, try out parlays, props, correct scores, and league specials.
#4: Find and Use Fair Bonuses
As we mentioned earlier, the best sportsbooks have exclusive bonuses for new customers. Use these promotions to boost your account balance. However, only accept fair promotions.
Read bonus terms to discover if a bonus is fair. Look at the wager requirements, withdrawal limits, and validity time. Importantly, select a casino with lots of both welcome and loyalty promotions.
#5: Use Data to Analyze Matches
A common mistake new bettors make is to bet on their favorite teams. Or, they ask their friends for ideas on how to place parlay bets. Opinions and emotions lead to losses in sports.
If you want to win consistently, analyze matches extensively. Use publicly available data to compare head-to-head records. Check each team’s current form, injury reports, and tournament rankings.
Logically, an in-form team with quality players will beat an out-of-form, bottom-of-the-league side.
#6: Follow Your Budget
There’s no single right answer as to the amount of money you should spend on a match. The right amount for you depends on your income, bills, and betting goals. That being said, start small.
You’re likely to experience a few losses along the way as a beginner. Consider these losses as tuition for your learning process. Increase your bankroll after you start winning more than you lose.
#7: Niche Out
Niching out means specializing in one area of sports. You can decide to become an MLB bettor because the league has dozens of matches. Or, you could niche out even further by betting on eSports games.
Specialization turns you into an expert. It helps you know the teams, athletes, glossary terms, and play styles in a league. You can also keep up with performance records—data you can leverage to win regularly.
#8: Shop Around for the Best Odds
Although loyalty at some sportsbooks pays, there’s no harm in joining multiple betting sites. If anything, it’s beneficial in that you can shop for quality lines. You see, bookies never offer the exact same odds. Shopping around can help you discover the best odds for every game.
#9: Understand Home Team Bias
In nearly all the major leagues, home teams win more often than the visiting sides. It has something to do with home crowd support, experience with a pitch, and more rest time.
With that in mind, don’t always pick the home team. Use data to help you know when the visitors have better chances of winning.
#10: Keep Records
Record keeping is great for business. And in the world of betting, you need to operate like an entrepreneur. Keep records for future reference. They can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Then you can use this information to work on your weak areas.
#11: Important Matches Are Riskier
Many beginners love to bet on the Super Bowl, NBA finals, and March Madness games. Yet, these games are incredibly competitive. If you want to win your bets, you must take a lot of time analyzing the teams involved. Otherwise, stick to regular season matches.
#12: Never Bet on Your Favorite Team
Every beginner makes this mistake. They think they understand their team better than no one else does. And so they support their favorite team in almost every match. The problem is that betting on your team makes you biased. Yet, the only way to win repeatedly in betting is to be objective when making betting decisions.
