If you find yourself betting on reindeer racing (people actually do, look it up if you don’t believe me), curling or the American Cornhole League, first, tell me whether to put my money on Dasher (+350), Dancer (+200) or the classic Rudolph pick (-150); second, this column installment isn’t for you. You might be a little too far gone in the “You Can Bet On It” instruction manual.

Desperately needed to get that out of the way. Okay, let’s start this over again.

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When it comes to gambling, before picking a money line or a spread, it is important to not overlook the decision of what sport to bet on.

A person’s knowledge, experience and personal preference can all influence how easy it is to bet on a given sport. Certain sports are thought to be easier to grasp since they are simpler and have more information available, while others could necessitate a more in-depth knowledge of the rules and nuances of the game. 

Let’s look at the easiest sports to wager on for beginners. 

Soccer

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with 3.5 billion fans worldwide. As a result, there is a plethora of information and analysis available online to assist you in selecting the optimal bets. With the only points being awarded for a goal (1 point), it is easy for new bettors to follow the rules and scores, making it easier to gamble on.

In addition, it is very reliable to bet on soccer’s biggest stars. For example, this year for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi scored a goal in seven consecutive games. It was the seventh time he achieved this feat in his historic career. Someone who knew little about gambling could’ve realized Messi’s star power and bet on him to score a goal, which, as seen, had a likely chance of winning.

College Football

While upsets can happen in college football, with a shorter schedule they are much less likely to occur. Since its creation in 2014, the College Football Playoff has only seen 14 teams make it, with just three teams winning multiple championships (Alabama, Georgia and Clemson). While anything can happen in a given season, bettors can typically gamble on these same teams to make it to the playoffs with little sweat.

College football also has more than 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, so there are a multitude of games that bettors can research and bet on each week.

Now, let’s examine some of the more difficult sports for first-time gamblers to wager on.

National Basketball Association

The NBA features a long 82-game regular season in which each game has little value, making it challenging to bet on games. Any team can win on any given night, which could result in your “lock” of the night, losing you a good sum of money.

One prime example of this is in 2022, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks were defeated by the Detroit Pistons, who at the time were 6-28 and the worst team in the NBA at the time. The Bucks were 17-point favorites but lost 115-106.

Additionally, players don’t try as hard during the regular season. Star players such as Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving sitting out for load management makes it hard for bettors to determine if the favorite (team with the money line in the negative) is actually the team with the better odds of winning the game. 

However, the playoffs are a different story. Star players are more likely to play — and with effort — since teams are fighting for a championship, making it easier to predict a winner. 

Major League Baseball

The NBA’s “long” regular season doesn’t hold a candle to the MLB’s 162-game season, making baseball one of the most difficult sports to bet on. 

In the majority of other sports, the winner of a game is somewhat obvious. As previously mentioned, college football’s most dominant teams are likely to defeat unranked teams. In baseball, however, there is no guarantee that the best team in the league will prevail even if their ace is starting against one of the worst teams. 

A long-lasting season can cause good teams to go on losing streaks and terrible teams to perform well for extended periods of time. As a gambler, you never know when these streaks will occur or how long they will persist. If they have the proper betting system in place, individuals with extensive knowledge of sports betting can profit from baseball. Baseball is one of the sports that uses the most high-level statistics, which could be great for an experienced baseball bettor. However, if you are a novice gambler, it might be best to stay away.

No matter which sport you decide to gamble on, it is vital to always do research beforehand and set appropriate time and money limits. That being said, if you are an expert on reindeer racing, curling, the American Cornhole League or any other obscure sports and have spent countless hours studying their betting trends, then power to you.

If you or a loved one suffers from a gambling addiction, please call 1-800-GAMBLER to get help. 

Joshua Sacher is a sophomore writing about the growing sports gambling phenomenon in his column, “You Can Bet on It,” which runs every other Wednesday. He is also a sports editor at the Daily Trojan.