Athletics Betting Guide

Athletics betting covers various sporting events that punters can bet on. Bets can be placed in advance or live (read about live betting strategies). In most cases, these events are incorporated into a single tournament.

Many fans and sports bettors are familiar with these events through the Olympics that occur during summer. Sports betting fans will not wait until summer in order to place their bets since there’re lots of tournaments held across the year on which they can also place wagers on.

If you are looking to start betting on athletics, this guide has everything that you need to know, ranging from how betting works and the best athletics betting tips to use to major events and betting types. Keep reading to discover more.

Bet on athletics is not only straightforward but also very exciting. Bettors aren’t just limited to placing wagers on a single sport in the same event. A single event includes different types of races that bettors can pick from, including race walking, trail running, cross country running, road running and track and field.

Apart from these races, athletics also offer numerous and unique categories that bettors can pick, such as women’s and men’s divisions, age (under-23, under-20 and under-18) and athletics with disabilities.

Under athletics with disabilities, punters can find subcategories such as field athletes, track athletes, visual impairment, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, wheelchair and amputation.

Additionally, athletics offer many markets, including winning a gold medal, disqualifying, setting a new world record, being on the podium, and winning the event, among others. You’ll find details about these markets in the types of betting on athletics section of this guide.

All these types of races, categories and markets are available at recommended and top athletics betting sites for gamblers to choose from.

While the summer Olympics is the pinnacle of the athletic world, there’re numerous biennial and annual tournaments that attract elite racers from across the universe. Here are some of the most loved athletics tournaments that you can wager on.

Organised by the European Athletics Association, the European Athletics Championships event occurred in 1934. The 2022 European Athletics Championships will take place in Munich, Germany. Between 15th and 21st August 2022, the best athletes will compete for the European Champion title.

The 2022 European Athletics Championships event will feature a total of nine Olympic sports: triathlon, table tennis, sport climbing, rowing, gymnastics, cycling, canoe sprint, beach volleyball and athletics. Punters will find all european athletics betting markets in their favourite sportsbooks.

Aside from the European Athletics Championships, other prestigious competitions that punters can place bets on are:

Summer Olympics Games: The summer Olympics event attracts elite athletes from over 200 countries worldwide. Tracked back to 776 BC, the sports festival attracts millions of fans and bettors. As a result, many betting sites offer summer Olympics athletics betting markets and bonuses for the entire event.

World Athletics Championships: World Athletics organises this competition that started in 1983. In 1991, the World Athletics changed the tournament frequency to a two-year cycle.

The USA has dominated the World Athletics Championships as it boasts more than 380 medals at the time of creating this guide. This’s more than double the total number of medals earned by the next two states on the medal table, Russia (143 and Kenya (151) combined.

The Athletics World Championships take place each year, with athletes from across the world competing for gold, silver and bronze medals.

Diamond League: Held each year, the Diamond League consists of field athletic and elite track competitions. The main aim of this competition is to enhance the worldwide athletics appeal. The Diamond League has been taking place in Europe only, but currently, it can occur anywhere.

Marathons: Marathons are also popular events when it comes to Athletics. They’re run over 26 miles, with two events being the most popular among fans and bettors.

The two events are the New York and London marathons. Most sportsbooks offer many markets for these special events. Change of a new record and the outright winner are the most popular markets in marathons.

Athletics provides bettors with lots of betting markets to choose from. Many bettors think that the only option available to them is the outright winner of the event or race.

Apart from these markets, there’re numerous types of betting on athletics types available, and the number increases depending on the nature of the athletics event. The most popular betting markets are:

Many top-rated sportsbooks offer competitive athletics betting odds on a world record being established in a particular race.

During the London Olympic Games in 2012, many bettors earned a profit when they placed a world record bet on David Rudisha, one of the celebrated Kenyan athletes. You can place this bet if you are sure that a particular star will perform excellently.

You can bet on a particular country to top the medal list at a huge event such as the European Athletics Championships. Also, it is possible to bet on a given athlete to win a medal.

An athlete must go through different qualifying stages in order to qualify for the final event. For example, racers just don’t find themselves in the 100 meters final; they must qualify from the previous races. This can be achieved by recording the fastest time or finishing in the top three positions in the earlier races.

Many betting sites allow their customers to wager on which athletes will compete in the final.

You can earn consistent profits if you understand the sport and the competitors involved. Here are the things that you need to do in order to increase your chances of placing successful athletics bets.

Wager on Form and not Reputation: You should not just back some of the biggest names in the world of athletics. Remember that even the greatest competitors of all time do not always win. The best thing to do is to check the current form of athletes online.

Consider External Conditions: Weather conditions are essential in terms of betting on athletics. High temperatures usually affect the performance of many competitors, especially those unfamiliar with such conditions. Similarly, competitors who are used to competing in the sun may struggle in the pouring rain. Be sure to check the external conditions before you can place your bet.

Consider Major Competitions: Not all events are equal. The World Athletics Championships and the Summer Olympic Games are indeed the most prestigious tournaments that command the athletes’ attention.

Many athletes withdraw from small events, but there’s little chance of this happening during major events, and racers always look forward to emerging the winners of their respective races.