Why is Sports Betting so much Fun?

While I was watching a football match with my betting slip in hand my ex-girlfriend came into the room and asked me “Why don’t you just watch the match, why bet on it?”, I was too engrossed in the action to answer right away but did have a think about why sports betting is so much fun later on and it is a question I hear many people ask frequently. For the record my ex-girlfriend and I did not break up because of sports betting!

With the World Cup fast approaching we England fans are watching the sport news closely to see how Wayne Rooney’s groin is recovering, whether Gareth Barry will recover in time for the tournament and hoping that Lampard does not get injured in the FA Cup final next weekend. It is a stressful time for football fans! When the football matches eventually start the bookmakers have estimated more money will be bet on the world cup than ever before, even in the aftermath of a deep global recession! So what is so good about sports betting?

Betting on sports help us to feel part of the game and it also satisfies many parts of human nature. The idea of risking money and taking risks appeals to people, as does making money and feeling the euphoria of winning. Some players even enjoy losing, although I would never recommend becoming hooked on that emotion. As emotional beings humans enjoy feeling euphoric. You will have heard the phrase “the bookmaker always wins”. The feeling of taking money from bookmakers and bucking the trend of bookmakers coming out on top keeps many sports bettors returning for another attempt to win money.

We are all gamblers at heart. Business people risk thousands of pounds everyday betting that their business model will continue to work today as it did yesterday. Financial traders risk the money in your bank playing the world markets to make their banks profits. Property investors are betting on the market increasing the value of their homes. Sports betting is a recreational version of the reality we all live in; risk. We are trained to take risks in life so it is natural we gravitate towards creating similar conditions in our spare time. (Sports bettors are therefore similar to other adrenalin junkies like surfers or rock climbers)

Placing a bet on bwin.com for my favourite Pool player to win their match and watching the live streaming via bwin.com causes a strange thing to happen. I suddenly really care about the result. Each ball means something; each rack is a step closer to not only the player’s goal in winning the match but in my goal in winning my bet. My heart is pumping and I feel nervous, but in a good way. I know that my bankroll management means I am not feeling nervous because I am risking too much, I am just enjoying that feeling of being involved and trying to win some money. Sport becomes much more meaningful to me during the bet and gives me a reason to cheer for the outcome I want because there is something at the end of it.

The amazing thing about sports betting is that you do not need to bet large amounts of money to feel this enjoyment. A bet of £1 feels good when you win and you collect winnings. Thankfully bwin.com has a lot of variety and plenty of sports to bet on so you will always have a match, game or event to research and bet on. That is another part of sports betting that is fun; working out the likely outcome, spotting value and claiming your reward for this knowledge when your well thought out sports bet wins for you.

When the World Cup starts, make sure bwin.com adds that extra spice to the excitement. I cannot wait!

By Malcolm Clarke