Basketball betting for both professional and college games follows the general structure of football betting, with straight bets utilizing a point spread and with bets on total scores also being popular. Parlay bets with and without cards are also wagered quite often. As margins of victory vary considerably and do not come together on specific numbers – such as three in football – the threat of middling is less for the sports book. Most sports books also offer teaser bets.
The general condition of basketball betting would seem to suggest that theoretical hold percentages would be more likely achieved than with football games; however, another factor makes this achievement more difficult. There are many more basketball games than football games, and the results of basketball games are much more dependent upon individual players. One player or two can dominate a team’s performance much more than in football – with the general exception of the quarterback. There is a need for greater information about players in order to more accurately predict the outcomes of games. Yet with the number of games all over the country, bettors may have more information than the sports books – information about players’ health, emotional disposition, disputes within teams with accuracy, distractions based upon player life circumstances (perhaps examination schedules and class performance for college players). The college basketball betting public is also the most sophisticated of those making sports wagers. The most sports betting scandals have hit the college basketball ranks. Professional gamblers sense that they can compromise players who can more easily affect the points of victory (shave points) in college basketball. Many major league professional players make $1 million or more per season and hence are not vulnerable to offers of money or other favors to shave points. It must be noted, however, that the sports books (and illegal bookies as well) will probably be very cooperative with authorities in exposing players or teams that may be willing to compromise their point spread lines, because as the line is compromised, the sports books not only lose customers who feel that games are not honest but also find it more difficult to balance their books, hence realizing their theoretical profit margins. Dishonest games hurt the bookies and sports book the most – in a financial sense, anyway.
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