2024 has been a superb year for sports betting with the release of a heap of new sites, plus existing sportsbooks developing their features and offerings further. If you’re a sports betting fan, you’ve got a lot to look forward to in the future. This guide will give you a look at sports betting trends you should be aware of that could change how you bet online.
Time-specific live betting is on the up
Sportsbooks are always seeking new ways to improve their offering and promotions. You can visit betting.co.uk for more information to see some examples of this. Time-specific betting is a feature that has emerged as a consequence of said development.
This is a feature exclusive to in-play/live betting and it involves offering punters specific bets for a set time period, such as the next 5 or 10 minutes of play. For example, imagine you're taking part in live betting for a Tottenham vs Chelsea EPL football match. As the match progresses, you might see live bets appear for a goal to happen in the next 10 minutes, or a yellow card to happen in the next 15 minutes.
These types of timely bets can make watching the live game much more fun and immersive. Not all sportsbooks offer these types of bets yet, but they are expected to increase in popularity.
Bet builders are becoming as popular as accas
Accas used to be the top dog in the world of online sports betting, but bet builders are becoming increasingly more popular.
With an acca, you are betting on the outcome of multiple matches - such as the Euro 2024 qualifiers – or a slate of matches from the Scottish Premier League. For example, you might pick Aberdeen, Celtic, and Rangers to win and your acca would payout only if all 3 teams win.
Bet builders take this concept one step further. Bet builders contain multiple selections still, but they could be anything from outrights on Scottish Premier League matches. You’ll be able to place props bets within those matches too.
For example, you might be able to make a bet builder on Celtic and Rangers to win, with Celtic scoring over 1.5 goals, and Rangers taking over 7.5 corners. Punters love bet builders due to the flexibility they provide, the excellent odds, and how creative you can be with them.
Futures bets are becoming more creative
Futures bets are placed before the sports event starts and they have historically been the most common type of sports bet available. For example, you might place a futures bet on Aberdeen to win in the Aberdeen vs Kilmarnock SPL match.
Recently, futures bets are becoming more creative, with many sportsbooks offering a heap of inventive futures bets. These include betting markets beyond just the outcome of individual matches. For example, you can commonly bet on who you think will win a competition, who will get relegated, or even the specific place you think a team will finish.
These types of bets are increasingly popular for US pro leagues too. Including the NBA and NFL, where people bet on who they think will reach the playoffs, and who will win divisional titles. It can even go so far as predicting end-of-season awards such as the NBA regular season MVP. It seems likely that futures bets will continue to increase in scope and variety as sports fans look for more ways to win.
There remains little variance in odds
In ages past when online sportsbooks were first released, there was still variance in odds. Thanks to that, it was possible to find added value by switching between sportsbooks. Due to the increased popularity of these sites, the wider variety available, and the complexity of the algorithms and research they use to set odds, that variance has all but vanished.
You can switch between 5 different sportsbooks and there will be hardly any variance between the odds for the same markets. Instead, what you want to shop around for is the range of promotions and the types of bets these sites offer.
A wider audience is being catered to
Football, tennis, basketball, and golf remain some of the most popular sports covered at online sportsbooks. However, you can expect more sports to be added and more variety of bets and competitions to be available in the future.
Sportsbooks will continue to promote 2nd and 3rd-tier leagues and competitions. They’ll also want to push lesser-watched sports such as volleyball, handball, lacrosse, and badminton.
Keep up to date as sports betting evolves
It’s important to keep track of the latest sports betting trends so that you can pick the right online sportsbooks for your needs. It’s also incredibly interesting to see how the industry is changing and what you can look forward to in 2025 and beyond.