Bet Sports

Aside from horse racing, betting enthusiasts have enjoyed betting on boxing since the beginning of the 1800s. Over the two centuries since, boxing and betting have almost become synonymous and for a short time in the 1970s and 1980s they were synonymous. From Ali-Forman to Holyfield-Tyson to the highly rumored Pacquiao- Mayweather, fans have enjoyed the luxury of wagering on their favorite fighters.

Similar to baseball in the early 1920s, boxing underwent its fair share of scandal as in the 70s some fights were seen as fixed while others had terrible judging. However over the last 15 years boxing has come back to dominance. Today we talk about how to bet on boxing, for fans new and old to learn how to wager on the sweet science.

Also similar to baseball, boxing uses the moneyline wagering technique when being bet upon by the public. Same as baseball, the odds are placed next to the two fighter's names, with the only difference being that a draw can occur in a boxing match. A money line for boxing would look like this

Jim Bob - 200
Pete Rossi +150
Draw +2000

Essentially how this works is, that bettors picking the favorite Jim Bob, are being asked to wager $200 in order to get $100 back. Bettors wagering on the underdog Rossi are requested to put down $100 in order to get $150 back. Finally, gamblers who can't decide on Rossi or Bob to win the fight and believe it will end in a draw, are required to put down $100 in order to get $2000 back if the fight does indeed finish in a draw.

Fans wagering on Rossi need him to win the fight in order to collect on their wager, same for Bob. However if they end in a tie, the house wins and both the wagers on Rossi at $100 and Bob at $200 are used to payout fans who chose a draw as an outcome.

On June 11^th when the World Cup betting odds were released, the two odds on favorites were Spain and Brazil, as each were tied with the highest odds. Today June 16^th, fans still remain confident with the Brazilians as a favorite to win the World Cup. On the other hand, many are now wondering if Spain can rebound and remain a favorite in this year's tournament after losing to Switzerland one to nothing this morning.

Soccer has proven to be one sport where the odds on favorite in each match can assure a victory. Going into the match against the Swiss, the Spaniards were averaging three goals per match, resulting in many fans participating in World Cup betting to believe that the match with the Swiss would further prove how dominant the Spaniards are. However, similar to rival Brazil during its match with North Korea, the Swiss proved to be a much harder task then initially predicted. Entering the match on Wednesday June 16^th against the Swiss, the Spaniards had won each of the last 18 matches.

Although being upset by the Swiss, fans betting on Spain to win the World Cup should know that historically speaking when a favorite has lost its opening match that team has never won the World Cup. Conversely, even though Switzerland won the match one to nothing, they were severely outplayed by the Spaniards, being outshot 24 to seven. Similar to the Mexicans in their tournament opening tie with the host South Africans, the Spaniards dictated the pace of the game for the majority of the match, but simply could not burry any of their chances.

Not to undermine the other teams in group H, the group Spain is in, but Spain is far and away the best team in that group, which also includes Chile and Honduras. Moreover, after being upset by the Swiss in their first game, fans can be assured that the Spanish will do everything in their power to prove that the Swiss game was just an anomaly while proceeding to the finals.

In nine days on Friday June 11^th 2010, soccer's greatest tournament begins as the World Cup will begin in South Africa. The tournament is played once every four years, with 32 countries battling for the prize of World Cup champion. World Cup predictions are difficult to make as there is a big turnover in rosters every four years, however the safest bet would be to pick 2006 winner Italy to repeat as they appear to be just as strong as four years ago.

Although it is known as a global tournament, the World Cup is frequently dominated by teams from Europe and South America as each continent is known for being home to powerhouse soccer nations. Along with Italy, the other strong teams out of Europe include Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, and England. In South America the top three teams are Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. In North America the two strongest teams are the United States and Mexico, but by 2014 expect Canada to join them at the World Cup as the soccer program over there is getting stronger.

The World Cup is one of the best tournaments as besides the Olympics, it helps the tourist industries of the host nations. Although assisting the local economy, tickets can still be quite expensive and fans looking to gamble on their team but not watch them live can bet soccer online at a variety of Sportsbook websites. These websites are highly recommended as fans wagering, have the ability to bet on the matches while the games are being played.

Next Friday will kick off the month long tournament which ends on July 11^th in the championship game. Will Italy win back to back titles? Or will a new champion be crowned?