Sports betting has become a hot topic as a result of the dramatic legislative changes that are sweeping across the United States. The reverberations are being felt the world over, and India is no exception. While operating a sports betting service is prohibited under Indian law, the rules are less clear-cut when it comes to placing a bet online with an offshore provider.
Of course, as far as Indian fans are concerned, when we say sport, what we really mean is cricket. If you click here, you will see a whole list of sports betting providers who serve Indian customers. But before you rush to hand over your hard-earned money, it’s worth taking a moment to think about the different kinds of cricket bets you can place.
Match Betting
Let’s start with the most obvious option, which is the match bet. Here, it’s simply a case of betting on one team or the other. Of course, you could also bet on the scores being tied or, in the case of a test match, the draw. While some people study the form, evaluate the odds and really try to predict the outcome, it is far more common to simply bet with the heart and put your money on the team you support! After all, betting should be part of the fun and nothing more.
Number of runs
This is known as an over/under bet and it usually pays out at or around even money. It typically relates to the first innings of a match. The bookmaker will set a number and you must predict whether the team batting first will score more or fewer runs. In general, the number is non-integer, to avoid the complication of it being neither higher nor lower. So for example, if it is set at 160.5 for an IPL game and you bet “over” then you’ll need the team batting first to score 161 or more to win the bet.
Top performers
If you’ve got a good instinct for who’s in form, placing a bet on a top performer can be a canny move. You can back the top batsman or bowler for a match or series. It’s most common for this kind of bet to apply to all 22 players taking part – or potentially more if it is over a series – not just to those on a specific team. Naturally, this makes it harder to predict, but it also opens up the possibility of a handsome payout if you manage to call it correctly.
In-play betting
Finally, we must mention one of the most exciting innovations in cricket betting. With in-play betting, sometimes called live betting, you can keep placing wagers even after the game has started. It’s fast and furious, as every wicket and every boundary can shift the overall odds. It provides a great opportunity for those who can really read a game and are able to predict a change in fortunes before the bookmakers have time to see it coming and adjust the odds!
