Casinos and sports betting are growing industries in the Philippines. With the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) as its primary regulator, the betting industry is one of the country’s brightest spots and one of the bigger contributors to national coffers. According to one study conducted in October 2022, about 39% of the population was involved in betting activities within the last year.

There are plenty of anecdotal indicators of sports betting’s popularity. Offshore betting sites are popping up, and mini-apps are now everywhere, offering a platform to bet on sports with plenty of bonuses and promotions!

The country’s sports betting landscape is changing for the better, and it’s becoming more accessible, thrilling, and potentially more rewarding than ever! But before you join the crowd and bet on your favorite teams, you must exercise due diligence. Like playing casino games, you must consider tested sports betting tips, sign up only at legitimate and licensed betting sites, and bet responsibly. This article will cover the most essential sports betting tips for beginners and pros like you!

Understanding the basics of sports betting: What are odds, lines, and types of bets?

While the basics of sports betting require picking a market, placing a bet, and waiting for the results, there’s more to betting than meets the eye. The mechanics behind sports betting can be complex; knowing what team to support or bet on is just a start. It’s equally important to understand the basics of sports betting tips, including the odds, lines, and types of bets you can play.

What are betting odds?

If you plan to bet on sports, you must understand how betting odds work. Odds refer to the probability of an event happening, and in the sports betting industry, it puts a number on how much payout you can collect based on your bet.

Technically, the higher the risk, the higher the reward, and vice versa. For example, the theoretical odds of landing heads (or tails) in a coin toss is ½ or 50 percent. So, you have a 50 percent chance of winning a payout when you bet on either heads or tails. In sports, betting odds are informative as they give you insights into the probability and tell you how much you can potentially win. As such, a careful understanding of odds is part of any list of sports betting tips.

There are three main types of betting odds: fractional (British), decimal (European), and moneyline (American).

In most offshore betting sites for Filipinos, you’ll also find other betting odds, including Hong Kong and Malay. Hong Kong odds work like traditional decimal odds, where you multiply the stake by the odds to calculate your potential payout. In the Malay odds format, you’ll find a negative number indicating the amount you’ll need to wager to win $1.

Knowing the different types of odds will help you compare your potential payouts and help form a value bet. So, it’s unsurprising that many experienced bettors, as part of the best sports betting tips, shop for and compare real-time betting odds from different sites before settling on a bet. Some sportsbooks and affiliates even publish sports betting tips based on their in-house odds!

Betting lines

A betting line is a form of wagering in which the sportsbook sets betting odds and determines the underdog or favorite in the matchup. Traditionally, there are two betting lines: moneyline and Point Spread. The former represents the odds of the player or team winning outright, and the latter handicaps the favored player or team to level the playing field. In some lists of sports betting tips, experts recommend the moneyline for beginners because it’s easy to understand.

Types of bets

Every list of top sports betting tips will include a discussion of the different types of bets. You can play different bets on your favorite sportsbook, and the options often depend on your sport. To simplify our discussions, let’s focus on the four basic bet types you can play with most team sports: Moneylines, Spreads, Totals, and Parlays.

Among these four betting types, the most popular (and easiest to follow) is Moneyline, where you put your money on the team you think will win. The Totals, or over/under, are wagers on whether the total combined score in the match will fall over or under the line that the bookmaker sets. In our sports betting tips, starting with the easiest bet type is always better before proceeding to the more complex ones.

Research and analyze- Pay attention to stats, scores, and records

Sports betting is an exercise free from emotion. Yes, we have our favorite teams and players, but we don’t blindly stake our money in making informed bets. Practicing due diligence through research and analysis is one of the best sports betting tips for becoming an efficient sports bettor. You’ll need to know the team or player you’re betting on while keeping tabs on the other teams and players.

Some of the best sports betting tips require you to check out team statistics, player performance, and historical data, including head-to-head. For example, if you’re betting on a Roland Garros championship match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, you’ll need to cover basic player details like winning streak, head-to-head, and playing style. Betting on tennis is unique since they play on different surfaces, each favoring a specific playing style.

The same is true when betting on basketball— you don’t just blindly bet on a team; watch out for H2H, players’ status (including injuries), and other stats, like points per game, assists, and steals.

Learn how to manage your budget

Betting on sports is thrilling and entertaining, and it can be fun, especially if you’re winning payouts. However, we don’t recommend relying too much on emotion when betting on sports or playing casino games. It’s best to bet responsibly and only gamble within limits.

Before betting, identify a budget or bankroll to play win, an amount you can afford to lose. After setting up a bankroll, you can set a base bet.  Betting responsibly means sticking with your bankroll and never chasing one’s losses. Once the bankroll has been used, log out from your account and focus on other activities.

If you’re a regular bettor, you may want to check out the operator’s Responsible Gambling tools and resources. Most sportsbooks offer a Deposit and Loss Limit, which you can use to set limits. Also, these sites feature a self-exclusion service, which can help you if you’re struggling with real-money betting. Consider this service a ‘time out’ from betting, and regulators recommend these as part of their sports betting tips.

Learn and follow a few betting strategies

Once you’re familiar with the basic sports betting tips, you’re ready to take on more advanced strategies. Three of the most common betting strategies to use are value betting, arbitrage betting, and matched betting, which we’ll explain below:

1. Value betting. It’s a strategy that requires betting on a line with great odds. Here, you’ll need a solid understanding of the expected value (EV) and the sportsbook’s margin. You can do this by comparing betting odds from at least two bookies and picking the one with the best value or payout potential.
2. Arbitrage betting. Experts call this arb betting or miracle betting, where you bet at multiple bookmakers to cover all possible outcomes to ensure a profit.
3. Matched betting. In matched betting, you’re maximizing your potential profit from the sportsbook’s free bets and bonuses.

Expert tips for successful betting

In addition to knowing the basics of betting options, odds, and strategies, you can follow plenty of tested sports betting tips. Here are a few tips that you can use to improve your betting experience.

• Compare and bet using the best odds. Before starting, you must know how to read the different formats and how they work. As a bettor, you should know how to ‘shop’ for betting odds; that is, you compare the offers from different bookmakers and compute for potential value before deciding. Some betting sites offer enhanced or boosted odds, which increases your bet’s value, but are only available for a limited time and for certain markets.
• Learn how to specialize. Avoid some beginners’ mistakes when betting online, like failing to specialize. Some players follow and bet on several sports to increase their chances of collecting payouts or excitement. It isn’t a reliable strategy, especially if you’re a beginner. Remember, your success in sports betting isn’t entirely up to chance—it’s stats and data-driven, too.
• Don’t bet with your emotions. We all have our favorite teams and players, but the money isn’t always on our teams. In our tested sports betting tips list, choosing your bet should be based on stats and information after due diligence.
• Successful betting requires patience and discipline. Your success doesn’t come overnight; you must sweat it out through due diligence and research. Betting on sports differs from playing slots or other casino games where the RNG randomly assigns the winning symbols or patterns. In sports, we’re betting on the games involving professional players who strictly follow the rules. So, you’ll need to learn how to read stats and score sheets, follow sports betting tips, and other sports data.

Common mistakes to avoid in sports betting

If you’re betting on sports, you also need to know and avoid the common mistakes bettors make. Here’s a quick look at the common mistakes to avoid and additional sports betting tips to consider:

• Ignoring bankroll management. A cardinal rule in betting is never to ignore bankroll management. Unfortunately, many bettors still lose sight of this rule, perhaps due to excitement or, worse, a lack of discipline. Always set a bankroll, stick with it, and never chase your losses.
• Betting without proper research. As a sports fan and bettor, you’ll need to appreciate the value of research. Unlike slots, which work on RNG, sports betting is different, with plenty of variables beyond your control, and we’re talking about people playing against each other. But the good news is that data is available to help us identify informed betting decisions.
• Failure to shop for the best odds and lines. We’ve already mentioned the importance of research, and it extends to odds and lines. Having an account with multiple sportsbooks gives you a better chance to have a potentially rewarding betting experience. Why? Every point, cent, and change in odds matters.
• Not maximizing the sportsbook’s bonuses and promotions. Learn how to find and compare the best sports betting promotions and bonuses. For example, some sites offer boosted odds and free bets, giving you free cash to bet on your preferred lines. Of course, comparison is the key to unlocking betting bonuses. As part of our sports betting tips, we recommend checking the bonus T&Cs, such as playthrough, validity, and applicable sports and odds.

Wrapping up

Betting is fun, thrilling, and potentially rewarding. It can also bring a sense of fulfillment, especially if you support your home team or favorite players. But don’t let your emotions and excitement control your sports betting decisions. As a sports fan and bettor, it’s crucial to consider and apply sports betting tips and strategies to improve your success.

The results of games and matches are difficult to predict, with plenty of variables in play, both internal and external. Then, there’s the element of risk since you’re betting with real money and sharing your information when topping up your account or withdrawing winnings.

But the good news is that our licensed sportsbooks, including BK8 Philippines, provide all the tools, stats data, and related information. The challenge for sports fans and bettors like you is using these tools and resources correctly every time.

Finally, don’t forget that sports betting is not just about choosing the best bet to win a potential payout. It’s equally important to become a responsible bettor who understands the limits of gambling and that sports betting is just for fun and leisure activity and never a source of income.