What is the Hardest Sport to Bet On?

Sports betting gives that enthralling way of engaging with favourite games, but not all sports are the same. Neither are they as predictable or profitable as each other. Some may be more of a breeze to predict, but others could leave even the most experienced gambler scratching their head.

When you start betting on these sports, the ability to access online betting platforms like Betway can be a real game-changer. With odds, trends, and expert analysis available, it helps you to make more informed decisions into the world of luck.

In this post, we’ll explore the hardest sports to bet on, ranking them from easiest to hardest, and do our best to try to explain why some are trickier to predict than others.

Football, American Football, Basketball

Sports that are “easier” to predict often feature more predictable outcomes and an abundance of statistical and analytical data. For example, in sports like football and basketball, outcomes can sometimes be more straightforward. Football, for instance, has clear team rankings and a long history of stats, making it easier to predict who will come out on top. The very large sample size of games in both Football leagues, NFL and NBA seasons also gives you plenty of data to analyze the odds. While luck can still play a big role, these sports give bettors a rather solid foundation to work from, making them more accessible.

Baseball

For many bettors, the next step of difficulty is baseball. While the sport might seem random at times, it’s still relatively easy to grasp for those familiar with the numbers. Baseball betting leans very heavily on pitcher stats, team performance, and historical data. Understanding things like on-base percentage and pitcher ERA can give you a solid edge. But as with any sport, there are always unpredictable moments. Last-minute home run or god forbid, a shocking injury, can make baseball betting more volatile than the previous two sports.

Hockey

As we move up the list, we come to hockey (that is ice hockey of course). While it shares some similarities with football in terms of its fast-paced nature, betting on hockey comes with more complexity. The variables at play such as goalie performance, line changes, and power play success make hockey harder to bet on. The game's fluid nature could cause the teams to turn the tide in a matter of seconds. Hockey bettors need to closely monitor team trends, individual player performance, and understand the psychology of the game. With fewer games than football and basketball, you have much less data to rely on, making it quite trickier to predict outcomes consistently.

MMA and other fighting sports

The difficulty in betting on sports becomes even more evident when you look at mixed martial arts (MMA) or other fighting sports like boxing. MMA betting requires a deep understanding of fighters' styles, previous matchups, training camp performance (when available), and even how they mentally prepare for a fight. While one fighter may have a better win-loss record, the outcome can hinge on specific tactics or of course on even a single punch. This makes MMA a much harder sport to predict especially when the odds are rather close. The uncertainty in how fights unfold can make it a risky sport to bet on, adding to the fact that extremely dominating fighters won’t offer much profit if betting on them.

Horse racing
The most difficult one in our list: horse racing.
Betting on horse racing often feels like playing the roulette. The sport involves very difficult to track variables like weather conditions (and how it may affect the horse on that specific day), track surfaces, jockey performance, horse health, and many more intangibles. While there is absolutely tons of information available, analyzing all the elements correctly can still be extremely challenging. Much of the outcome can depend on factors like how a horse performs on a specific track, or if it’s having an off day as horses get those too... It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of factors at play.
Horse racing is a very high-stakes game that often relies on timing, intuition, and luck, making it one of the hardest sports to predict.

The Takeaway

Betting on sports might seem simple at first, but as you look closer, you’ll realize that some sports are more, or even way more, challenging than others. As you “climb up the ranks”, it’s important to embrace the challenge while understanding the risks involved and do this responsibly.
Whether it’s basketball or horse racing, betting on sports requires skill, knowledge, and sometimes it all comes down to that little bit of luck being on your side. Each sport presents unique challenges, but that’s what makes sports betting exciting!