The great thing about online sports betting is that there are just so many options when it comes to placing a wager. Nowadays, the most popular sportsbooks on the internet offer odds on everything from how many corners in a lower league Danish football match to virtual sports played on video gaming consoles. Increasingly, more and more sports are appearing on betting sites that most people have never heard of, or would never have considered betting on. From Finland’s national sport to a game in which players are only allowed to breathe once per turn, we’re going to have a look at the weirdest sports betting options out there.
The merits of betting on obscure sports?
Of course, the weirdness of a sport is completely dependent on the punter and where they’re from. Explain the rules of Cricket to most Americans and they’ll think you are from another planet. Likewise, the intricacies of American Football are lost on most sports fans from outside the States.
So what is the point of betting on a sport that the majority of people don’t really understand, if not simply for the novelty factor? Well, there one of the biggest benefits of betting on obscure sports is this: if the general populace don’t know a lot about the game, then the likelihood is that neither will the bookmaker. If you can become an expert on a sport that most people stay away from because they think it’s “weird”, then you might just get an edge on the bookies when it comes to spotting those good value odds.
So what are the weirdest sports in the world which you can bet on?
GAA Sports
Kicking off our strange sports list is one that most people should be familiar with, at least if you are from the UK. Many of the best online bookmakers offer odds under the bracket of GAA sports, which stands for the Gaelic Athletic Association and incorporates two of Ireland’s most popular games – Gaelic Football and Hurling. If you’ve never come across these sports before then (without going into too much detail) they can be simply described as being like football and hockey crossed with elements of rugby. Sadly, the semi-pro nature of the game and lack of coverage means that GAA sports aren’t very popular outside of Ireland. However, both games are fast-paced and exciting to watch and most major sportsbooks online offer coverage with handicap betting, half time results and goalscorer markets.
Curling
Another peculiar sport that you might be aware of is Curling. The winter sport gets loads of coverage during the Winter Olympic Games, usually because the UK are actually quite good at it. The sport is played outside of the Olympics with the World Curling Tour and World Championships every year. The aim of the game is to land big granite stones in the the centre of the target, with sweepers who can make the rocks curve on the ice. Betting options are usually quite limited but punters can make handicap bets as well as over/under total points wagers.
Floorball
One of the newest sports in the world, Floorball is quickly gaining popularity across the world. Originated officially in 1979, this game is played professionally in Sweden and Finland with semi-pro leagues in Norway, Denmark and the Czech Republic. You can find betting odds for Floorball games from all of these countries at popular betting sites. But what exactly is it? Well, there isn’t really anything that weird about this game which is similar to hockey, except it is played indoor on a small court with a plastic ball with holes.
Surfing
Ok, so surfing is hardly the most obscure of sports in the world, but how are you supposed to bet on it? We mean, isn’t it just a bunch of dudes and dudettes standing up on a board and then falling off from time to time. Despite the chilled out vibes associated with surfing, there is actually a fairly strong competitive element to the sport, with major events such as the Billabong Pipeline Masters, the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing and the Reef Hawaiian Pro (incidentally, these competitions make up the “Triple Crown of surfing”). Let’s just say that the guys who compete in these events aren’t going to fall off that easily, and their skills are judged by a panel just like Olympic divers or gymnasts.
Pesäpallo
From sunny windswept beaches to the cold climes of Finland and the weird game of pesäpallo. This national sport is often described as the Scandinavian country’s answer to baseball, and we can see why. The game is based around a batting team who have to whack a ball to score runs by running around a series of bases while the fielding team aims to put the batter out. There is a key difference, however, being that the ball is pitched slowly and vertically. As as result, there is much more control, variety and tactics involved in the game. If you can wrap your head around the intricacies of this fast-moving sport, then you might be able to place wagers on individual matches and tournaments.
Kabaddi
If you really want to venture into crazy sports betting territory, then you should check out the Indian sport of Kabaddi. We have the feeling that this is the kind of game that you really have to have played since your childhood to actually understand what is going on, but we’ll do our best to explain. Two teams of seven occupy their own half of an area about the size of a badminton court, taking it in turns to send a single player – or “raider” – into the opposite team’s half. The aim of the game is for the raider to tag a defender on the other team and get back safely to his own half without being tackled. Oh, and while this is happening, the raider is not allowed to breathe, chanting “kabaddi” over and over to show the referee that he is not inhaling. Truly bonkers, but there are bets to be had on this unique sport.
Chess
Most sports featured in the navigation bars of top online sportsbooks involve an element of athleticism, while external factors – from the weather to the playing surface – can affect the outcome of a bet. Not the next “sport” to feature in our exhibition of strange betting. Chess might normally make you think of spectacles, tweed jackets and pensive chin rubbing, but where there is an element of competition, there are bets to be had. And after all, they do say that the brain is a muscle, right?
eSports
Staying in armchair moder, the last on our list of weird sports which you can place bets on is eSports. This branch of betting covers the fast-growing industry of competitive video game playing. It might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea – surely playing video games yourself is more fun than watching someone else do it? – but it is quickly becoming one of the most lucrative sports in the world with established football teams like PSG trying to cash in on the buzz by opening its own eSports division. There are loads of betting options available for punters to choose from, with markets in video games such as League of Legends offering match handicaps as well as the chance to wager which team will slay the fist dragon. Bet you never imagined you would be able to bet on that?
