Sports bettors enjoy a good degree of excitement and unpredictability when they engage in this particular hobby, and while it’s not for everyone, it does offer a lot of fun. However, some of the terms involved leave folks confused and unsure about how to approach this activity. If you’re interested, we’re going to explore the different kinds of betting you might engage with.

For those willing to take a longer-term approach, futures betting opens up an entirely different playing field. Such outright punts rely on understanding trends, analyzing performance, and predicting outcomes well in advance. And perhaps, more importantly, they ensure that you have skin in the game until the very end, providing maximum enjoyment rather than just a couple of hours. 

If you’re someone who considers themselves highly knowledgeable in a certain sport, such as the NFL or the Premier League, then betting on futures could well be more enticing than betting on each individual game. Here’s why. 

What Are Futures Bets?

Futures are wagers placed on competitions that will unfold over a longer time frame rather than individual matches. Think of the NFL, for example. Websites offer all kinds of options these days, with the live sportsbook at Bovada aimed at betting on matches already underway, the prematch sportsbook aimed at placing a bet on individual games and matches before they start, and finally, futures. 

Sticking with the gridiron, yes, you can opt to go for the live sportsbook approach and bet on each game taking place every week, but you can also bet on a plethora of other longer-term things, such as the eventual Super Bowl winner, the league’s MVP, winners of both conferences and each division – even betting on players to rack up a certain amount of yards throughout the season. For example, one can bet on next year’s champion even though the 2025 season doesn’t start until September. It’s a market in which the Philadelphia Eagles are the +550 favorites to win, so make sure you check out the sportsbook predictions going in. 

Knowledge is Power

Hardcore sports fans live and breathe their favorite leagues and teams, and that can leave them better suited to the futures world rather than the quickfire markets offered in play. Let’s face it: who could have predicted Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons would down the Eagles in primetime at the Linc on week two of the NFL season? That loss could have torpedoed your parlay if you were going for short-term bets. On the other hand, if you’d bet on Philly to emerge as Super Bowl champions, it might have been cause for concern… yet, as we all know, they did indeed emerge with the Lombardi. 

As we all remember, Nick Sirianni’s side rebounded from that loss to finish the regular season with a 14-3 record. From there, they knocked off the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and finally, the Washington Commanders to punch their tickets to a date with destiny at Super Bowl LIX. If you made the right futures bet, it would have carried you all the way through the season, providing you with entertainment all year long, and keeping you engaged. 

Simply put, sports fanatics are dialed in. They know a team inside out. Perhaps most importantly, they know a team’s history. They know that Real Madrid is very likely to progress to the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League, considering the Spanish side’s pedigree in the tournament. They know that those aforementioned Eagles have a great chance of reaching the Super Bowl once again next season thanks to their last few campaigns, and their demolition job on the Kansas City Chiefs shows that they will be there or thereabouts once again next season. 

Contrast this with single bets or parlays. Things change every week; injuries happen, form dips, and tough road trips loom on the horizon. Throughout a season, though, these things even out for all teams, providing you with a much better opportunity to get the most bang for your buck. 

The Ups and Downs of Value

When betting on end-of-season outcomes, the value of your bet will change over time – as is the case in most similar areas. That might put you off… but it shouldn’t necessarily.

With these bets, you don’t have to see things through till the bitter end, should you not wish to. Most sportsbooks now offer cash-out options, allowing you to sell your ticket back to the bookmaker before the event is over. This dynamic gives you more control and flexibility. 

For instance, if you bet on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl at +550 odds – the price they currently are with Bovada – and they get off to a dominant 8-0 start, your ticket’s value will increase significantly. You might decide to sell your bet at that point rather than wait until the end of the season.

On the flip side, if injuries or a trade derail a strong team’s season, the value of your bet will plummet. Fans this season, for example, may have placed a bet on the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA Championship, thinking Luka Doncic would lead them to glory. However, no one could have imagined what was about to transpire. 

The Mavs had been on the hunt for a new defensive stalwart to shore up their defense, and they ultimately got their man in the form of Anthony Davis. However, the move saw their superstar Slovenian head in the opposite direction, curtailing their championship hopes. 

Finding Undervalued Opportunities

Futures betting offers you the chance to look out for undervalued opportunities that everybody else is overlooking.

For example, in the ongoing English Premier League season, Nottingham Forest was expected to be dragged into a relegation dogfight. However, as the campaign heads into the latter stages, the Tricky Trees currently find themselves in third place. That provides a huge opportunity to win a plethora of bets, including in markets such as top ten finish, top six finish, and perhaps even top four finish – a bet that would have been at huge odds at the start of the season.