Ask Pete Rose. Betting on sports can be extremely addicting. Depending on your method and unit size, the addicting hobby can be costly, or if you are lucky, it could be an extremely profitable addiction. You do not have to go to Vegas to get your sports betting fix on. Really, you do not even need to get off your couch to bet on sports.

 

When gambling on sports, knowledge is the number aspect to successful betting. There are tons of options involved with sports betting, such as straight wagers, parlay’s, teasers, prop bets, over unders, etc. All of these types involve placing money on a result or outcome of a sporting event.

 

There are numerous reasons why sports betting can be addicting. For the big time sports fan, they are already going to be watching the action, so they figure they should take a chance at making money on the event. Obviously what some gamblers do not realize, or at least come to terms with is that their bet, and the fact they are watching intensely has NO bearing on the final of the event. Just because Phil turned the TV on to follow his bet, does not mean the Bills are going to make an extra effort to cover that ten point spread. Another reason people get addicted is they do not share their betting habits with family and friends. It is much easier to use it as entertainment, and “an investment” if you allow others to see/hear the actions you are taking. If things start to get out of hand, this person will be here to help. Also, sports betting can get “out of hand” when the bettor gets careless with the amount of unit he/she places on a bet. The money you use to place a bet is called “bankroll”. It is very wise to choose a “unit” and base your bet on a unit system. Your unit may just be $5, or it could be $100. Typically this amount is somewhere between 1% and 5% of your entire bankroll. But when you chose to make a bet, judge how well you like it, based on how many units you wish to bet on it. This is a system that helps with which bets you truly like.

 

Be careful with this hobby. Like all addictions, it could become very dangerous. Do your research and limit your units when making bets. Look at it more as an investment then you do winning/losing. Try to make money daily, instead of large amounts at once. While sports betting in the United States may be illegal, the books available online are all overseas. Some of the popular books online include: sportsbook.com, bodog.com, sportsbetting.com and betus.com.

 

Currently, there are about 2 million American’s that struggle with addiction, not all within sports. The official term for addiction is: “the inability to resist impulses to gamble.” Online sports betting is not the only way an individual can be addicted. Office pools and contests are considered betting, and if not careful can cause addiction and significant monetary loss as well.

 

If sports betting is consuming your life, or causing extreme mood swings – take a break or seek help immediately because you may be addicted to sports betting.