Tennis Betting

Tennis has been around for many years, with the modern form taking place around 1859. Since then, there have been informal bets on the outcomes of games. When official sports betting became a mainstream activity, tennis was among the first sports to be adopted by bookmakers in addition to the then common horserace betting.

The popularity of tennis betting has grown steadily since it first began. Today, there are big tournaments and star players that attract punters in droves to bet on game outcomes. Names such as Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams are often 'sure bets' for many bettors. Big tournaments like the Opens (Wimbledon, Australian, and French) and the Olympics are always popular with bettors.

Today, online sports betting has made betting on tennis even more popular. People are able to stake in overseas betting companies and receive their winnings instantly. Betting companies have also expanded markets by introducing live in-play betting, cash-outs, and virtual tennis games and leagues.

Odds are the size of the challenge that a player has to overcome to win a game. If a player has odds of one (favorite), the game is easier for them than it is for a player with odds of 10.

For bettors, therefore, the bigger odds means they will win more, i.e., betting on an underdog is a high-risk bet, but it has better returns. These are often explained in general articles on how to bet on sports and those offering sports betting tips.

Tennis bets are similar to those of other sports. However, the same bets are expressed differently in different parts of the world. There are fractional/British odds, European/decimal odds, and American/ Moneyline odds.

In fractional odds, the first number is the winnings one gets from placing a wager denoted by the second number. 5/1 odds means five dollars are won for one dollar wagered. Decimal odds denote the number by which to multiply the stake to get the final winning. A 2.5 odd means a person who bets $10 will receive $25 if they win, inclusive of their stake.

Moneyline odds have a + or - sign before the numbers. Favorites have -ve odds while underdogs have +ve odds. A winner receives their wager plus the amount indicated on the money line.