If you’re a sports enthusiast and had wished to wager on sports in the past, but were weighed down by all the technical jargon such as point spreads, odds, and book making, relax. After you’ve got read this post, you shall be ready to participate within a short period of time. Although sports betting may appear quite daunting at first, it is not as complex as it may seem.

Gambling had deep roots in England and quite naturally, the colonists brought their love of gambling over to the usa and continued with the tradition. Early colonists happen to be known to bet on cock-fighting, boxing, and horse racing. In the early nineteenth century, many gambling was centered on horse racing with boxing in second place. However, with increasing popularity of baseball, the focus of sports gambling shifted to baseball betting towards the later a component of the century.

Through the start of the 20th century, sports like the school basketball and football started getting the attention of open public and with the passage of time these sports were competing with baseball with regard to popularity. The earliest form of wagering on football and basketball involved the use of odds – a system still practiced today – also referred to as the cash line.

The method of betting with money line posed big problems for the bookmakers and they were forced to come up with a substitute. A majority of gambles were inclined to place bets on college teams that were quite superior to their opponents, making the outcome of the matches a foregone conclusion and resulting in losses for book makers. Just prior to the Second World War broke out, the bookmakers introduce a brand new method of sports gambling that transformed this industry forever.

In basic terms, the point spread is a handicap that is placed on the likely winner of the basket ball or football game in points. For instance, should the Lakers were expected to simply demolish the Clippers, the point spread for the game may be calculated at up to 20 points. Generally, 20 points could be either subtracted from the total score of Lakers score, or added to the total score of Clippers. In such a case, any sports enthusiast who placed a sports bet on the Lakers would only earn money if the Lakers win by at least 21 points. Similarly, gamblers wagering on the Clippers stand to win their bets should the Clippers win the game as well as should the Clippers lose the game, gamblers can still win provided Clippers lose by 19 points or less.

The point spread helped the bookmakers to balance their books as bets on sports were more evenly placed in comparison to the previous system where the majority of gamblers placed bets on the exact same teams.

The huge success of the point spread helped the bookmakers realize that the more betting options the public had, the more bets they would be likely to place. This realization resulted within the establishment of another system, the totals. Also referred to as “overs / unders,”, this betting proposition provides the gamblers to bet on the total score of both the teams, irrespective of the outcome of the game.

Sports betting has gone through many stages of evolution with the passage of time. Bookmakers have continued to come up with betting methods and opportunities, latest of them being teasers and parlays. Conversely, placing a sports bet with the traditional money line, excellent soccer online against the point spread, or through totals, continue to be the three most popular forms of sports gambling. No matter what sports you follow, there is definitely an equal opportunity now to make money through your favorite sports.