Ordinarily, the sport you understand the most will be the easiest and safest to bet on. Unfortunately, it is not so much. This leads us to this post, in which I will be showing you the most profitable and safest sport to bet on, and you could be surprised because it’s probably not what most people think. Also, don’t be surprised if you see different answers from different people, because sometimes what works for you could be the safest hotspot you are looking at.
A lot of bettors will automatically think, “Oh, the safest sport to bet on has to be football, right? NFL, college football, those are the big ones.” But it’s actually not. Football, including both the NFL and college, isn’t the safest. The reason is that these games mainly take place on the weekends. You have college football and NFL games mostly on Saturdays and Sundays, with just a game on Monday night and occasionally one on Thursday or Friday. So, there’s not a lot of action happening, which means smaller chances to make a profit.
You need to understand, especially if you take sports betting seriously (like an investment or professionally), that betting on NFL and college football may not be the choice you want to stick to in terms of profitability. You are limited by the number of games, with the NFL having 17 weeks and college football even less. An example will be that if your target is to make 30 units a month from betting, you’d need to win about seven units every weekend. But even then, you’d only reach 28 units for the month, and that’s assuming you win every weekend, which is not very likely to happen. There will be weekends when you lose money.
So, betting on football can be tough. The main reason is the limited number of games compared to other sports. Now, if we look at baseball, the MLB has the most games of any sport. You might think that makes baseball the most profitable sport to bet on. But it really depends on how you bet. Baseball has heavy favorites and underdogs. If you are good at picking underdogs, you could increase your bankroll. However, if you prefer betting on favorites, you’d need to win around 70% of your bets to make the kind of money you could in other sports.
What is the Safest Sport to Bet On?
Hockey! This is the safest of them all, and this is not because I said so, but because it is so. You will understand why hockey is the safest and the bettor’s choice. Nowadays, hockey, especially the NHL, is a safe space if you want to bet with less risk. If you take a look around, starting with what bettors usually consider today, it’s less political and has fewer instances of people blowing the whistle on game rigging (like refs or former officials). That’s the basic idea here. What makes it even better is how dominant and predictable the outcomes in hockey can be, along with the generally low scores in each game.
So, whether you are looking at over-under odds or the money line, these two clear patterns in hockey reduce the risk. For example, if there is a top-notch team on a winning streak in the NHL, say 6 games or more, the chances of them continuing to win are much higher compared to other sports. So, betting on the money line with a team that’s dominating is safe. Just be ready to back off if they’re up against a team that’s even remotely on their level. Instead of getting tangled up in parlays and complicated bets, try to recognize that hockey offers some of the easiest outcomes.
Have you ever noticed how winning streaks seem rarer in other national sports compared to hockey? It’s not as common elsewhere to hear that teams like the Rangers or Canadiens are on a 10-game winning streak, but major sports media outlets that want to steer bettors in other directions frequently overlook it.
So, yes, hockey is the most profitable, especially the NHL. The over/unders in hockey are consistent. They usually hover around 5 and a half, 5, or 6. It’s rare to see them drop to 4 and a half or jump to 7 or 6 and a half. So, the betting line doesn’t change much. Depending on the playing teams and their scoring potential more or less, you can really use this to your advantage.
Again, money lines in hockey seldom go beyond minus 200 or minus 220. You hardly ever see them reach minus 400 or 500, unlike in baseball, where you could see such disparities when two unevenly matched teams play. This is where understanding value comes into play, which is something you need in sports betting. As a professional bettor, you need to know how to spot value. Meanwhile, I wrote an article that will help anyone become a successful sports gambler; do check it out.
Anyone can choose teams with a minus 500 money line all season and end up winning more than losing. However, the return on investment won’t be huge, and there’s a good chance of losing money. Betting like this throughout the season may only bring minimal profits, and that’s not viable in professional sports betting. You need to look for value, and hockey offers plenty of that. With many teams closely matched, the odds are often even. So, yes, you can find and exploit value for bigger profits than losses.
Other Safe Sports to Bet On
Don’t forget that the sport that works for you still applies and is considered the safest from your personal perspective. It could be too difficult for other people. Having looked at the safest sport to bet on, which I have explained is hockey, we’ll be talking about other profitable sports betting you can easily win.
1. Soccer
Soccer is a bit uneven. You see, in soccer, the odds can get pretty extreme, with moneyline bets reaching -1,000 or even -1,100. It’s quite wild with some soccer teams. So, the search for real value in soccer betting is tough. However, when you look at over/unders in soccer, there’s a bit of room to work with. It could be 2 and a half to 3, 3 and a half, which is really similar to what you see in the NHL. With over/unders in soccer, you could make a decent profit and find some value, unlike with moneyline bets, where it’s harder.
Another thing with soccer is the three-way bet because of the possibility of a tie, which adds another layer of difficulty. If it ends in a tie, you lose. So, soccer is not a safe sport to bet on but is profitable, especially compared to the NHL, which is seen as more profitable.
Now, even though MLB has more games than the NHL, the NHL stands out as more profitable because of the opportunities in over/unders and moneyline bets, where the favorites aren’t as heavily skewed. In baseball, you can find things to exploit, but the over/unders range widely, from six and a half up to 11, and even higher when Colorado plays at home.
So, there’s still potential there. But in the NFL and college football, point spreads are tough on your bankroll. They’re tough because you could lose by just a half point or a point. Even if the better team wins, they may not cover the spread, so it’s harder to profit, especially with favorites. For instance, betting on the Chiefs will not yield much profit over time if they are a 7-point favorite and their money line is around -450. You might bet on them to cover the spread, but if they win by only 6 points, you lose.
So, point spreads can be really tough. They seem to always catch up with you. They’re not great for your bankroll, and it’s common for people to enjoy betting on the NFL and college football. However, these are the sports where sports books earn most of their money. The NHL isn’t bet on as much in sportsbooks. People tend to avoid it, maybe because the fan base isn’t as large or because it doesn’t excite everyone. But what people miss is that when betting on sports, you are not really looking for excitement. Otherwise, you lose your bankroll. You should see sports betting more as an investment or a business.
I’ve seen many people in this industry bet based on their emotions—a big mistake. If you favor your preferred teams or bet on games just because they are televised, you won’t win some money. This is exactly what sports books capitalize on. So, try not to be that person.
2. NBA
Well, the NBA is also the safest sport to bet on. Now, many bettors enjoy betting on the NBA too, but similar to what I mentioned about the NFL and college football, there are loads of games. However, the totals (over-unders) can be different. They are not fixed to a single number and can be anywhere from 199 to as high as 236 or 240 sometimes. Now, about point spreads—remember what I said? They’re tough on your bankroll. Really, point spreads can be tough. Try to grasp that with point spread betting, it’s not just about picking a team to win. You are betting on them to win by a certain margin, which the sportsbooks are incredibly accurate at setting. So, it often ends up being a close call.
And about those tough losses—I’m curious, guys. Drop a comment below on how many tough losses you have experienced over the years. I’ve had hundreds, and it just makes me shake my head every time. You have to handle it, shake your head, and move on. These things happen way too often. How many times have you missed a spread by just a half point? Or by a single point? Or lost in the last moment of the game? It happens often. Point spreads and tough losses seem to go hand in hand. That’s just how it is, and it’s exactly how the sportsbooks make and take your money.
3. Baseball
Easily the safest sport to bet on, but not up to par compared to sports like hockey. Baseball is often known to be America’s favorite pastime and remains one of the top sports in the United States. Major League Baseball (MLB) features a large number of games in a baseball season. So, combined with the chance for any team to win on any given day, this is a safe sport for betting. In baseball, most bettors place moneyline bets. While you can also place run lines and prop bets, they are not as common. Baseball is perfect for those who prefer to bet on the outcome of each game.
With over 2,400 games in most MLB seasons, there’s a lot of room for those who love stats to find an advantage in MLB betting. Also, you have lots of data and information to follow and its long season means lots of chances to bet on many games for different kinds of bets to win. Unfortunately, baseball can be quite unpredictable.
Meanwhile, when betting on totals (over/unders), you are betting on the total number of runs scored in a game. You get to decide if the total will be over or under the bookmaker’s set number. You can also leverage live/in-game betting on a baseball game to drive home big wins. The odds change throughout the game, though, so there are a lot of chances to bet right up until the end.
4. College Basketball
You could also look into college basketball. Here, there are around 360 teams, and over 250 participating in conferences with games that are regularly lined. So, yes, the volume of games here is an advantage. Given that these teams often play multiple times a week, any given week could offer over 500 games to bet on, and many of them are safe bets. You’ll need a bit of diligence to find high-value betting situations to invest your bankroll.
Moreover, betting on college basketball outside of conference play can exceptionally be profitable. It is the prime time for sports betting, and you’ll get unparalleled opportunities to make money. During November and December, the sports world is typically focused on the NFL and college football, with the NFL heading into its final games and college football entering bowl season. At the same time, the NBA and NHL are in full swing, which can lead to college basketball being overlooked amidst the crowded sports schedule.
However, the unique betting landscape in March, including conference tournaments, the NCAA Tournament, and other postseason tournaments, further underscores the value and many opportunities college basketball provides for bettors to earn significant returns.
5. Boxing
It isn’t just a sport but has been around for a long time. Boxing is historical and is easily the safest sport to bet on. It’s true that boxing is a favorite worldwide, but it’s different from other sports. It’s really about those big-money events that happen throughout the year. Therefore, there are lots of special offers from bookmakers trying to stand out from the crowd. Even though you can’t usually watch the big fights live, the best boxing betting sites make you feel as if you are right there watching a thrilling Pay-Per-View event. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many chances to bet as in other sports.
Some of the popular betting markets here include round group betting, go the distance and method of victory. For the round group betting, you guess in which round the fight will end. For the second market, go the distance, if you think the fight will last until the end and the winner will be decided by the scorecards, you can bet on it going the distance. As for the method of victory market, you bet on how you think a fight will end, such as by knockout or decision.
6. Horse Racing
I just had to talk about one of the most traditional sports when it comes to betting – horse racing. Even though it may not be everyone’s top pick in the sports world, horse racing deserves a place on this list as the safest sport to bet on. Horse racing brings a winning chance with many betting options. So, some of the types of bets you can place on horse racing, include win bets, exacta, place bets, trifecta, quinella, across the board, etc.
Beyond the well-known Kentucky Derby, other major races include The Cheltenham Gold Cup, Belmont Stakes, the Champion Hurdle, and Preakness Stakes. As for horse racing sportsbook, FanDuel is the best here. You can place a win bet on a single horse in the Preakness Stakes and get a FanDuel racing bonus of up to $20 if your horse doesn’t win. All you have to do is grab this deal is pick one horse to win the Preakness Stakes race. Win or lose, you can also try a place bet, which allows your horse to finish in either first or second place. Horse racing does require a lot of research.
7. Boxing
A lot of fans are switching to MMA, so boxing isn’t as popular as it used to be. Nevertheless, both sports attract similar types of fans as they are similar. This sport is managed by various organizations and promotions, though it doesn’t offer as many betting options. You always need an advantage to win, such as betting on value odds. Here, you have to bet when you think the real chance of winning is higher than what the betting odds suggest. Boxing could even give you better returns compared to football (soccer), which is known to be hard to make a profit from, especially for casual bettors.
The smarter method here is to grab the early odds. This is when bookies are most likely to slip up. For example, the odds for Crawford to knock out Khan were once as high as @1.60 with many bookies a few months back. So, you act fast because those odds won’t last, and usually, the odds just before the match don’t offer much value. Before we move to the last sport on this list, boxing betting is more international and has been around for longer. You will have live betting options to place your bets on. However, it doesn’t have as many prop bets as other sports.
8. Mixed Martial Art
Finally, we are going to talk about MMA (mixed martial arts). Instead of stories, how I will discuss this sport as regards safeness, is to give you tips that will make you win. There are more MMA organizations out there besides the UFC, like Bellator MMA and some others. MMA has lots of betting options beyond just picking winners and guessing how many rounds a fight will last. You can also bet on specific outcomes and place bets during the fight.
Here are some rules for betting on UFC fights, for example.
- Stick to parlays with no more than 2 bets. They’re usually not worth it.
- Be careful with specific outcome bets unless you are really sure about them. Predicting the exact way a fight will end is tough because you need to guess how the fight will go down, who will control the action, and how they’ll manage to win.
- If you bet on specific outcomes, betting on a fighter to win in one of two ways is a safer option. It’s a bummer to bet on a knockout only to see your fighter win by submission instead.
- Pay attention to fighters’ ages, especially in non-heavyweight classes. Older fighters often don’t perform as well.
- Avoid betting on fighters who are talking about retiring.
- In stand-up fights, reach is very important. A longer reach can give a fighter a big edge.
- Experience and level of competition matter. Don’t get too caught up in a fighter’s win streak or hype around a newcomer.
- It’s really tricky betting on fighters who take fights on short notice because proper preparation time is important. So, take note of this factor if you want to play safe.
- You can always bet on how long a fight will last instead of picking a winner. yes, it won’t be as exciting, but it can be profitable and safe.
- Practice good bankroll management. Never bet more than 4-5% of your money on a single fight.
The reason you really want to go for MMA is because there’s a big event almost every month and decent fights every weekend. Sometimes, you can bet on underdogs for the most rewards. There are also lots of chances to find good bets on the moneyline. But before you bankroll, get to know each fighter’s style to help you place strategic bets.
Conclusion
I do hope this made an interesting read! But let’s ask that question again. What is the safest sport to bet on? The confident answer is hockey. When you’re ready to manage your betting funds, it’s always wise to bet on the safest. You could find it surprising, but chances are, you’ll end up placing fewer bets during the NFL and college football seasons and more bets during the hockey season. Just keep that in mind and make sure to do your homework, because the facts back this up. What I’ve shared in this post will stick with you, especially when hockey season rolls around. You’ll see the over-under bets are remarkably stable, usually hovering around 5, 5 and a half, 6, and seldom going higher. This consistency is something you can take advantage of as a bettor to make money steadily over time.
Read Also: You Can Make Money on Sports Betting. Learn How!
