Even for the most fanatic fan of the sport, trying to keep up with everything going on in the sporting world these days is becoming difficult; traditional sports are bringing out new leagues and formats, new streaming services and channels are popping up every five minutes and whole new sports and esports are finding their place within the landscape.

But, with more sports and better exposure, there are plenty more opportunities to have a flutter and the best mobile sports betting apps allow you to do that from wherever you are.

With so much sport to bet on it is hard to know where to start, which is where this article comes in, as we list off the top ten sports for betting!

1. Soccer

This might be a surprise one for first place, but our reasons are stellar!

There is so much soccer around the world, as it is played in every country and you will find matches to bet on every single day.

To go with the plethora of matches, there are a plethora of markets to bet on; from the traditional result and exact score, to the first goalscorer, number of cards, the corner count and much more.

Plus, you can indulge in the outright markets, betting on who will win various leagues and cups, or who will be relegated.

2. Horse Racing

The sport most synonymous with betting is our runner-up!

Betting online has opened up so many racing markets, allowing us to bet on events all over the world.

You can keep things simple with win and each way bets, or bet without the favourite, or place accumulators. There is arguably no better sport for bonuses and special offers, too.

The jargon can be a little off-putting for newcomers, which keeps it below soccer’s simplicity in this list.

3. Tennis

Tennis is king of the individual sports for betting fans.

In every match, one player is the favourite and one is the outsider, forever drawing in both the favourite backers and those who love an underdog.

With plenty of events that have men’s, women’s and double’s tournaments, tennis is the ideal sport for building big, daily accumulators which might just come in!

It does not have too many other markets; there is betting on the set winner, the score of each set and handicap betting, but not as many as some other sports.

4. Basketball

Of the traditional North American sports leagues, the NBA is our favourite for betting fun.

Quarter and half winner markets are fairly unique, as are total points under/over markets and handicap scores, giving you many more options compared with the average team sport.

The focus on stats such as rebounds and steals naturally creates more things within each match to bet on.

Basketball is not just the NBA, of course, with many leagues around Europe and the rest of the world to explore.

5. Football

It’s hard to find a sport with more in-play markets than American Football, it’s like the sport was born for in-play betting!

What will happen on the next play? A run? A pass? A touchdown? A fumble? The options – and therefore, the bets – are endless.

Thinking slightly more long term, which team or player will be the next scorer? How will they score? Or perhaps, if you are a real traditionalist, you can just bet on who will win and by how many points, or who will win the Super Bowl.

While the sport is growing globally, the big letdown for football betting is the NFL and college leagues – with their short seasons and few matches – are the only markets available on most betting sites.

6. Formula 1

Like other forms of racing, Formula 1 has a lot of the betting markets that horse racing offers, though it has some of its own features.

Betting on teams rather than individual drivers, both on each Grand Prix and over the course of the season, is a big selling point, as is the chance to bet on where each driver will finish – or whether they will finish at all – provides more options that traditional win and each way markets.

Plus, there is the chance to bet on practice and qualifying too, as well as the race itself.

One race every fortnight or so over a nine-month season does not provide punters with too many opportunities, though.

7. Cricket

We alluded to traditional sports that like to bring out new formats in the introduction, and there is no sport better at that than cricket.

From five-day test matches to short, snappy T20 and new concepts like The Hundred, there is something for everyone and always plenty going on around the world.

There are markets for results, outrights, batters and bowlers, but the downside is it can be a confusing sport for the uninitiated, who are put off gambling money on something they don’t fully understand.

8. Boxing & MMA

Combat sports in general have been given a new lease of life in recent years thanks to the UFC going mainstream and some interesting characters finding some unorthodox routes into the boxing ring.

Betting on the result, betting round by round and on how long the fight will last give fans enough options and the sport is simple to follow, even if there aren’t a load of different fights to bet on at any one time.

9. Hockey

Similar to Basketball, Hockey is seen as primarily North American, but with loads of European countries offering top class leagues, there are many places to go for match and outright betting.

Handicaps and score bets are big in hockey too, but the lower attention given to stats lowers the number of markets compared to Basketball.

10. Baseball

Baseball offers outrights on league and division winners like other top American sports, plus the focus on the pitcher and batter stats; like bowler and batter betting in cricket. However, the complicated impression it gives outsiders and the shortage of markets away from the MLB are obvious minuses.

Tags: Basketball, Cricket, Formula 1, Hockey, Horse Racing, Soccer, Sports, Tennis