Sports betting has accelerated in growth in recent years. Since a ground-breaking official ruling in 2018 paved the way for over 30 states to enjoy fully legalized bets, the activity has massively expanded.
With so many people able to enjoy an extra element to their sporting viewing, 2022 promises to be another bumper year for sports entertainment.
Here are 3 sports events coming up this year that will attract a whole host of betting activity.
NBA Playoffs
All major sports fans will have their eyes on the basketball courts this April. The NBA playoffs capture the excitement of sorting out the best from the rest in a knockout tournament.
Founded in 1946, the National Basketball Association play-off contest takes place after the regular season and decides who goes through to the finals.
Fans of all the 16 teams taking part, including the current champs, the Milwaukee Bucks, will be keen to see how the competition plays out.
Last year, the Bucks upset the NBA betting odds as they had been knocked out in the previous two playoffs. It just shows that surprises can be in store when the playoffs roll around.
As well as the Bucks, other teams such as the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors are strongly tipped to do well in the Playoffs.
By following the latest results and recent form, viewers can form a view of who is likely to do well. But as seen last year, a shock could always be on the cards.
USPGA Championship
The PGA Championship is one of US golf’s major events. Set to take place in May at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa Oklahoma, the tournament attracts the best golfers in the world to show off their skills.
Sports fans will be keen to see who can hit their best shots across the parks. This year the championship celebrates its 104th anniversary.
The PGA Championship has enjoyed plenty of famous events over the years. The last time it was held in the Tulsa course, Tiger Woods was victorious over Woody Austin in 2007. The sweltering heat meant the entrants were also competing against the elements.
A strong field of entrants will be looking to emulate that fest this year. The contest for the competition’s Wanamaker Trophy has winnings of $2 million.
Sports fans can follow the latest news and build-up to the contest and make the most of the info to make predictions.
The Grand National
The Grand National is one of the biggest events in horseracing’s annual calendar, and sports overall. Every year punters boost their viewing of the race with a wager. Over 600 million people worldwide tune in on TV and online to watch the race every year.
The race is scheduled from April 7th this year and is set to take place at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England.
The steeplechase race takes in over 4 miles of 30 fences and two laps of the course. It is known as the most valuable prize horse race in Europe.
Last year, Rachel Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the race with the horse Minella Times. The horse was second favorite to win last year, behind Cloth Cap, who pulled up before the end.
One strongly tipped possibility this year is the Cheltenham Festival winner Mount Ida. Running a strong race under jockey Jack Kennedy at the 3 miles and 2 furlongs course last year, the horse provided a sterling performance.
Both horse and rider remained calm and composed despite falling to the back of the field by the sixth fence. They kept their nerve and moved up the rankings one by one, overtaking their rivals systematically.
It was a showing that some feel could be repeated at Aintree this year.
The Grand National is always a surprising and fun event to take in. It has the quirkiness of a multi-layered course that asks a lot of runners and riders. Only the ones that keep a dedicated course and level head will win out through the rest.
All of these events share a big field of competitors, which increases the possibilities of what might happen.
The contests also offer different ways to make wagers. It could be that rather than just betting on an outright winner, a punter might want to bet on standings and placements.
However, it is done, these sports betting events offer certain entertainment for all kinds of viewers.
