The striking down of the 1992 PASPA Act by a Supreme Court decision of May 2018 led to a dramatic shift in the US gambling landscape as states rushed to legalize sports betting. Over three years later, that fledgling sports industry is continuing to grow and millions of sports fans all over the US are now legally able to wager on their favourite sports and teams.
Sports fans who visit sidelines.io can choose from a massive range of sports betting markets covering pretty much every sport under the sun!
But the gambling landscape is changing all the time and keeping track of the trends is important for those who work in the sector and for those who enjoy the occasional sports wager. Here are some of the main sports betting trends in the US.
Mobile Betting
One of the most popular and widespread sportsbook trends is the uptake of mobile betting. The advantages for the bettor are obvious. The ability to make your wagers on the move at your own convenience is a major leap forward, and while some will always prefer to visit real world retail betting venues, a growing number of sports bettors welcome the chance to wager through their mobiles.
It is also notable that many sportsbook operators in the US are trying to build immersive and all-encompassing mobile betting experiences, providing stats, live streaming (see below) and other betting tools. Mobile betting is not available in every state, but as demand grows, that is sure to change.
Live Streaming
Live betting, that is, wagering on games while they are in play, is extremely popular in Europe and is beginning to catch on in the US, too. The key to a successful live betting product, however, is access to footage of the event, and sportsbooks are working hard to combine these aspects.
For example, Sportradar have recently announced new technology known as emBET that will provide up to date information on a sports event, while enabling bettors to make wagers within the live stream. Being able to make in play wagers can bring a new dimension to sports betting, and live streaming is the key to this.
Prop Betting
Prop betting has long been popular in other parts of the world but is starting to catch on among US bettors. The ability to wager on one element of a game is an interesting approach to sports betting and a growing number of sportsbooks in the US are working to provide this option.
Many sportsbooks give you the option of betting on a whole range of prop markets, mostly based around player performances, and there even some more random prop bet markets, which are purely for fun, on such things as the coin toss winner or length of the National Anthem before the Superbowl!
Player Tracking
Sports betting in the modern era has a deep relationship with technology and one of the most fascinating ways in which tech is shaping the industry is in the use of player tracking. This technology can deliver real time and detailed information on how a player is performing, covering everything from the way that they are executing their skills to their fitness and energy levels. This information has obvious applications for sports broadcasters and coaches, but it can also be extremely useful to bettors.
Analytics
The rise of analytics across many sports has been a talking point for several years, but the process of using big data and statistical skills to break down information is something that many sports betting fans are embracing.
US sport is awash with statistics, making it the ideal subject matter for a student of analytics and the resulting facts, ratings and insights are often made available to sports betting fans through sportsbooks, sports sites, and other resources.
With bettors learning to use it in ever more creative ways, analytics are becoming an important part of sports betting.
Crypto Sports Betting
Cryptocurrency has been gaining ground over recent years so it should come as no surprise that there are now crypto sports betting options. Not every sportsbook provides crypto payment options, but many of them do, and the speed and security of using crypto to deposit, bet and withdraw has many advantages, particularly to those who are used to cryptocurrency in our daily lives. We can surely expect many more US sportsbooks to start offering crypto payment options over the next few years.
