If there is a timely advice everyone deserves to be reminded of, whether you are a pro bettor or just began wetting your feet with the sportsbooks, is to never confuse sports betting with gambling. Sure, in the eyes of the law, regulators, license issuing entities,sports betting is indeed considered a form of gambling, but you as a bettor should never make this mistake.
Sports betting is as much about gambling as driving down the road. There are chances of something happening (or not) on everything and always, literally, but that doesn’t make it gambling. This point is best aimed at the beginner bettors, although as mentioned, some pros need a reminder every now and then. Do not approach sports betting as a form of gamble, or you will lose. Sports betting is all about knowledge and making an informed decision, period. What makes it gambling in the eyes of many is that in the end – it involves money, and not the risk. Let’s break this down.
Sports betting is about knowledge. Get your facts right, do the research, know what you are talking about. Back in the days, the really sharp bettors were people who lived by the sport – they watched every game possible, read every article in the paper, kept track of all the stats, you get the picture. Today with the internet and its vast knowledge just a mouse click away, you don’t have to be a die hard fan, all this information is freely available online. Heck, even the online sportsbooks are more than happy to provide you with stats on every sport imaginable. So take advantage of this spots data, find a few places where you can gather information about the teams, players, coaches, all their stats, etc. and keep it handy. And most importantly – use it all the time.
Sports betting is about making informed decision. Now that you have the knowledge a click away, make sure you put it to good use. Making the right decision is where you will draw the line between betting and gambling. Don’t be the old lady on the slot machine, putting a dollar in and hoping to win the jackpot based purely on luck and nothing else. Sure, in sports betting sometimes you will have luck work against you, but this should be exactly your goal: luck should only work against you, your picks must be based on the knowledge you have and the good decision you made. When you win, you should never think that “you got lucky with those bets”.
Bottom line – collect the information, stay cool and make an informed decision about your bets. And never, ever bet on your favorite team!