There is little surprise that NFL and horse racing betting rank among the most popular within the gambling sector, as both boast standalone events on the respective schedules that gain mainstream appeal.
The Super Bowl is annually the most popular sporting event in North America, with billions of dollars wagered across all available markets.
Meanwhile, the standout horse racing event of the year comes in the form of the Kentucky Derby, which also engages those that wouldn’t typically make a bet on the racing action.
But, aside from significant events during the year, what are some of the other big similarities between horse racing and NFL betting markets?
Match/Race Winner Betting
The most common betting strategy across both sports is wagering on the most straightforward market available, and while the name of the market is slightly different, the rules to gain returns are the same.
In NFL betting, gamblers will be wagering on the match result market in order to make their selection for the winning team at the end of the match. This is the simple moneyline betting. Meanwhile, horse racing bettors will gamble on the race winner market.
Both of these will require the gambler to successfully predict the final outcome of a match or race in order to get returns from their selection. If the prediction is wrong, then the stake is lost.
Ante-Post Betting
Betting on the winner of the Super Bowl before the latest NFL season gets underway is an exceptionally popular selection for gamblers. This is where bettors will typically get the best value for their selections, as the market begins to change once the opening round of matches gets underway.
Ante-post betting is also exceptionally popular when it comes to horse racing, as you can see in the latest horse race bets by TwinSpires. Money can be placed on a runner for some of the biggest races on the schedule up to 12 months before it takes place.
Markets for races such as the Kentucky Derby tend to open following the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, which is six months before the opening leg of the Triple Crown.
Like when betting on American Football, getting money down early on a selection ensures that you get the best possible odds. However, it is always worth remembering that the stake is lost should the selection fail to win the race or Super Bowl.
Over/Under Betting
Aside from betting on the match result, wagering on the over and under markets is exceptionally popular when betting on the latest NFL action.
The benchmark in terms of points will be set by the sportsbook, with the gambler then predicting whether there will be more or less points. For example, if the benchmark is set at 45.5, a better will win on an over selection should at least 46 points be scored in total.
While this betting market isn’t available in horse racing, there is a similar betting option in terms of race winning distance. Here, bettors can wager on whether the winning margin will be bigger or smaller than a benchmark set by the sportsbook.
For example, if you wager on the winner winning a race by over one length, then the selection will be a winner providing that the runner is at least a length ahead of the second horse at the finish line.
Exacta/Trifecta Betting
Exacta and Trifecta betting is extremely popular with experienced horse racing gamblers, as they can get extra value on their selections.
In racing, bettors can land an Exacta by correctly predicting the first two horses past the line in the correct order, while the Trifecta means predicting the one-two-three in the correct finishing order.
Bettors on American Football can also use similar markets to put their research to good use, as bets can be placed on the team that will win the Super Bowl, as well as the team that will finish as the runners-up.
Combining two selections will enhance the returns on this market, but the bet is only settled as a winner if both legs are correct.
Similar Research
A lot of the hard work when it comes to betting on both American Football and horse racing is completed before placing a wager. This comes during the research phase, as bettors will need to assess all possible outcomes.
For NFL, this includes assessing the latest form of both teams, and taking into account injury updates and potential head-to-head records. Research is also vitally important before making selections on the horse racing.
Before making a wager on the racing, bettors will examine all form that horses have in the book, taking into account the distances that they have won over, and in what grade.
As well as this, bettors will also assess the form of jockeys and trainers, as those with reliable strike-rates over the last two weeks will stand a better chance of registering a winner.
