It’s all Relative: Gambling on Sports and Casino Games

The synergistic parallel between internet casino gambling & sports betting, especially where strategies are concerned.

To those who don’t appreciate the thrill of risk-taking, all forms of gambling are the same. For those who do enjoy a friendly wager now again, casino games and sports gambling don’t seem to have anything else in common, aside from the risk factor. Oddly enough, the assessment of non-gamblers could be more accurate here.

As dissimilar as these two activities seem to be, they actually have a lot more in common than most people realize – far beyond the fact they do both classify as a gambling activity. We’ll take a quick look at some of the more interesting parallels between the two.

Internet Casino Gambling & Sports Betting Synergies

If you partake in one of these activities but not the other, you may be wondering why the relationship between them matters. I suppose it depends on what type of gambler you are. Do you play purely for fun, ignoring any strategic aspect that might increase your odds of winning? Or are you the type to seek knowledge in all wagers, making the smartest decisions in hopes of reaping cash rewards on top of the inherent entertainment value?

The point of this exercise is to determine whether there’s a comparable relationship to the strategies behind these two types of games. If that’s the case – if the strategies do align – you may find it worth your while to broaden your horizons.

Handicaps and Hedging in Roulette

Every avid sports bettor is familiar with the concepts of handicapping a match and hedging bets. Handicapping is the process of researching player and team stats, match-up performance history, location, weather, injuries and other aspects that could impact the outcome of a contest. Bet hedging is placing multiple wagers that, combined, increase your odds above 50% to win.

The exact same concepts can be transferred to specific casino games – particularly European roulette. For example, there is no single wager that offers an above 50% chance of beating the casino. The best you’ll get is a 48.65% chance of winning an even-money bet (black, red, odd, even, high, or low). However, by placing a the right size bets on specific colors and numbers, while placing a smaller wager on the 0, you can slide the scale to a 68% chance of winning.

In-Play Betting and Blackjack

Online sportsbooks give punters access to in-play wagers at the touch of a finger. The New England Patriots have the ball – will Tom Brady march them down the field for a passing touchdown? Tap a button to put $5 on Yes or No. Is this not the same as the option to Double Down when the dealer gives you 11, or Split a pair of 8s?

These are situations in which the bettor is given extra information. If we’ve been watching the game, we know if Brady is on fire, or if his receivers are outmatched. In the same token, if you have soft 11 and the dealer is showing 6, you can use this extra information to determine doubling down – risking that extra wager – is the strategically proper move.

Picking Favorites and Slot Machines

This last section is ‘just for fun‘ – pun intended. If we remove the strategic element from the equation, we continue to find similarities between internet casino gambling and sports betting. Sports fans who place friendly wagers on their favorite teams are no different than slots players who hit the casino for no other reason than sheer entertainment.

Neither is basing their decisions on strategy. They are only looking for a good time. The sports bettor is increasing their desire to see their team win, while the slots fan is getting a thrill from the flashing lights and energetic chimes of the machine.

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