Futures betting is simply betting on the outcome of something in the future. An event sometime in the near future in most instances. All major professional sports have futures betting markets before their season occurs. A bettor will simply look at their sportsbook’s options and decide whether they can find an edge.
Below is a fictional example of a futures market for who will win the 2015 Superbowl:
2015 SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS
- Denver Broncos 13/2
- Seattle Seahawks 13/2
- San Francisco 49ers 7/1
- New England Patriots 9/1
- Green Bay Packers 11/1
- New Orleans Saints 14/1
- Indianapolis Colts 18/1
- Chicago Bears 20/1
- Philadelphia Eagles 25/1
- Atlanta Falcons 28/1
- Carolina Panthers 33/1
- Detroit Lions 33/1
- Pittsburgh Steelers 33/1
- Arizona Cardinals 40/1
- Baltimore Ravens 40/1
- Cincinnati Bengals 40/1
- Kansas City Chiefs 40/1
- New York Giants 40/1
- San Diego Chargers 40/1
- Cleveland Browns 50/1
- Dallas Cowboys 50/1
- Houston Texans 50/1
- Miami Dolphins 50/1
- St. Louis Rams 50/1
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 50/1
- Washington Redskins 50/1
- Minnesota Vikings 66/1
- New York Jets 66/1
- Buffalo Bills 75/1
- Oakland Raiders 100/1
- Tennessee Titans 100/1
- Jacksonville Jaguars 200/1
As predicted, the 2014 defending champion Seahawks are favored while the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars offer a very attractive price which is more of a random shot in the dark. But the early bird does sometime catch the worm. In a scenario which can be described as a stretch (and most assuredly unrealistic but used for instructional purposes), let’s assume Peyton Manning becomes unhappy in Denver. And, for some unexplained reason decides that he wants to retire as a Jacksonville Jaguar. Unlike horse racing, the odds that you get when you place your wager are constant and cannot change. You would now have a Peyton Manning led team at 200 to 1 to win the Super Bowl. Pretty amazing.
In a more realistic scenario let’s say you’ve done your research and are of the opinion that the Washington Redskins are poised this year to make a run. Robert Griffin III is healthy, Alfred Morris is still running in “beast mode,” and you like their off-season acquisitions. You can wager on them at 50-1 and get a nice return on investment if you are correct.
Another very popular form of futures betting is win totals for teams. You can bet whether or not a team will win more than a certain amount of games. If you don’t think that Washington can win the Super Bowl as we supposed above, perhaps you may be interested in their improvement to wager they will win over 7.5 games this coming season.
Here’s another fictional example of win total propositions for an NFL Season:
2015 Regular Season Win Total
- Arizona Cardinals – Over 7½ (-150)o (+120)u
- Atlanta Falcons Over 8½ (-105)o (-125)u
- Baltimore Ravens Over 8½ (-140)o (+110)u
- Buffalo Bills Over 6½ (-155)o (+125)u
- Carolina Panthers Over 8½ (+120)o (-150)u
- Chicago Bears Over 8½ (-155)o (+125)u
- Cincinnati Bengals Over 9 (-125)o (-105)u
- Cleveland Browns Over 6½ (-150)o (+120)u
- Dallas Cowboys Over 8 (+120)o (-150)u
- Denver Broncos Over 11½ (EVEN)o (-130)u
- Detroit Lions Over 8½ (-105)o (-125)u
- Green Bay Packers Over 10½ (-115)o (-115)u
- Houston Texans Over 7½ (-150)o (+120)u
- Indianapolis Colts Over 9½ (-115)o (-115)u
- Jacksonville Jaguars Over 4½ (-175)o (+145)u
- Kansas City Chiefs Over 8 (-130)o (EVEN)u
- Miami Dolphins Over 8 (+110)o (-140)u
- Minnesota Vikings Over 6 (-135)o (+105)u
- New England Patriots Over 10½ (-175)o (+145)u
- New Orleans Saints Over 9½ (-175)o (+145)u
- New York Giants Over 8 (-130)o (EVEN)u
- New York Jets Over 7 (-135)o (+105)u
- Oakland Raiders Over 5 (-125)o (-105)u
- Philadelphia Eagles Over 9 (-130)o (EVEN)u
- Pittsburgh Steelers Over 8½ (-150)o (+120)u
- San Diego Chargers Over 8 (-125)o (-105)u
- San Francisco 49ers Over 10½ (-135)o (+105)u
- Seattle Seahawks Over 11 (-115)o (-115)u
- St. Louis Rams Over 7½ (-155)o (+125)u
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers Over 7 (-140)o (+110)u
- Tennessee Titans Over 7 (EVEN)o (-130)u
- Washington Redskins Over 7½ (-125)o (-105)u
Futures betting markets are becoming more and more popular in all sports. Every major sport has them and gives the knowledgeable bettor a chance to take positions on teams before they have been seen on the field.
No comments