Online Surfing Betting
When it comes to sports betting, surfing is not the most obvious sport to bet on. Despite being a niche market, online surfing betting can be perfect for anything from a casual punt to a large wager. Like most individual sports, surfing gives punters the opportunity to follow individual athletes, learning how they perform in different conditions around the world. Compared to team sports, there are less variables to consider when placing a bet, making it exiting and rewarding.
The World Surfing League
In the world of online surfing betting, most of the bets placed online will be placed on surfing events organised by the World Surfing League (WSL). The World Suring League runs the annual surfing tour of professional surfers in both the men’s and woman’s division. The professional surfing season starts in March each year and ends in December. The current men’s Championship tour includes 11 international events and the woman’s Championship tour includes 10 international events.
Major Surfing Competitions
In the men’s tour, some of the most popular competitions featured at online sports betting sites include the Quicksilver Pro Gold Coast, the Billabong Pro Tahiti, the Billabong Pipe Masters, the Rio Pro and the Corona J-Bay Open. In the woman’s championship tour, some of the popular competitions include the Roxy Pro Gold Coast, the Rio Woman’s Pro, the Maui Women’s Pro and the Cascais Women’s Pro. Al the biggest surfing competitions are broadcast or streamed live, giving punters a front row seat on the action.
Types of Surfing Bets
With online surfing betting, there are quite a few different types of bets that can be placed on each event. For anyone just starting out, the easiest bet to place online is a simple heat bet. This is where a punter picks the winner of a particular surfing heat in the competition. Heat bets can be placed in either the men’s or woman’s competition on any day of the tour and are not linked to the final outcome of the event.
More experienced punters can go one step further and predict the winner a tour event such as the Gold Coast Pro or the Rio Pro. It is also possible for punters to place future bets on tour events or the Championship itself. At the beginning of the year, punters can bet on which surfer will win the men’s or woman’s championship.
Before you Bet Online
As with all forms of sports betting, betting on surfing requires dedication and a lot of research. Before placing any sizable bet, it is important to gather as much information about the athletes as possible. The more you know about the surfers, the greater your chances of placing a winning bet. There are a number of factors that can influence the outcome of a heat, or event.
The most obvious factor is the surfer’s current physical condition and recent performance issues. Some surfers do better on larger waves while others prefer flatter waves. Things to take into consideration is where the event is being held, the wave conditions on the day, how the surfer performed in previous years and who they are competing against.