Online betting sites allow players to bet on pretty much any sporting event happening anywhere in the world. This has created a few niche communities and fandoms that bet on less popular sports, but still win big and have great fun in the process.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the less popular, niche sports that you can bet on and quickly become a fan of. The overall rules of betting are the same as with any other sports – there’s no easy money out there and learning as much as you can about a sports event is your best strategy.
Benefits of Betting on Less Popular Sports
The main benefit of betting on the sports we’ll outline in this article comes from the fact that there’s a niche market and you can win more on small bets, with less competition. The communities around these sports are also welcoming and enthusiastic about the sport.
These online communities will also help newcomers learn about the sport and how to bet. It’s a clubhouse environment that you couldn’t get when betting on big-league sports. Sometimes, these small sports breakthrough onto the larger stage and the general public becomes interested. These are exciting events and very rewarding for those who have been in the know for a while.
Darts
For most people, darts are a bar game, but for a select few they are a competitive sport you can bet on. It’s simple enough so that everyone can pick up on the rules. At the same time, there are a few favorites that always get low odds, and everyone can easily figure out where the players are standing.
A community created around the sport is amazing and it’s very welcoming to newcomers that want to learn about the sport and start betting. The returns are as usual, depending on how much you’re willing to bet and risk.
Fencing
Fencing is probably the least popular spot to bet on. The community is tiny but it’s very dedicated and enthusiastic about the sport. Since a fencing match is usually decided by scoring more points than the opponent, you can bet in more than a few ways. Over/Under bets are the most popular in fencing but it’s also possible to simply pick a winner.
Not all online betting sites offer a chance to bet on fencing, but those that do, usually have all the extra bets and allow betting in a variety of currencies.
Table Tennis
Table tennis is probably the biggest sport on our list of small sports you can bet on. Since it’s a game with a clear points system it allows the players to bet on winners, on who will win which game, and on the number of points scored by both teams.
Since it’s more popular than other sports we mentioned, there are plenty of sites you can use to bet on table tennis. If you’re interested in small and middle-sized bets, you can enjoy table tennis betting here, but there are also sites for high-rollers.
NASCAR
NASCAR is a huge deal in the US, but it’s not that big when it comes to the betting market. The sport isn’t that popular outside the USA, and betting isn’t allowed in most of the US states. NASCAR has a rigorous schedule, hosting approximately 36 races in a typical Cup Series season. Sadly, from 2024, the Bristol Filth race is not going to return. Despite such changes in the race lineup, the evolving legal landscape around gambling presents an opportunity for fans to engage with the sport in new and exciting ways. Now when the US gambling landscaping is changing and becoming more liberal, chances are the NASCAR betting market will open up.
The simplest way to wager on NASCAR is to choose who will win the race, but there are countless other options as well. Another easy bet is a head-to-head wager, where you choose between two racers and wager on which one of them will do better.
Archery
Archery is a micro-niche, but it still has a following and there are enough betting sites allowing players to bet on it. There are pre-match bets and live bets on archery, as well as outright bets when you simply choose who will win.
Archery also allows for handicaps or beating the spread bets. The key to being able to bet on archery is understanding the scoring system. Most betting sites that offer archery bets, also offer tutorials and explanations on how archery scoring works, for novice players.
Handball
Handball is one of the biggest niche sports out there and it is quite popular in Europe. The betting options are pretty diverse and you can bet on international games and tournaments, as well as club games. The season is usually held at the same time as soccer season, so the games are easy to follow, at least in most parts of the world.
Players can simply choose a winner of a match or a tournament or they can guess the exact score. It’s also possible to bet that a team will beat the spread or that they will have a certain score at halftime. All of these bets can also multiply.
Curling
Curling is a small sport with a niche following, but it’s huge in Canada and a few other countries that see it as a national sport. There are plenty of betting sites that allow betting on curling and many that will sometimes introduce the option during an important championship.
Outright bets are the ones where you decide which team will win. There are also totals when you need to guess the combined number of points that both teams will achieve. These also come in the form of over/ under bets. Special bets include betting on which team will surrender and betting on the performance of individual players.
Squash
Squash is somewhat similar to tennis, as it’s played with tennis rackets and balls and usually in one-on-one matches or doubles. It’s not a particularly popular sport and it’s usually seen as a recreational activity, but it has both professional leagues and national teams.
Both live and offline bets are available. Some bets are as simple as betting on who will win, but there are also bets that yield better rewards, such as “beating the spread”. Many also bet on the overall number of points achieved by both players.
Biathlon
Biathlon is a small and not that popular sport, but it has a niche following, mostly in Canada. There are betting sites that allow betting on biathlon but the betting limits are low. It’s a sport followed out of genuine interest and love, rather than to win big.
It’s also a sport with a lot of accidents and mistakes, due to the nature of the game. This makes betting somewhat difficult since you can study the statistics to support your bets, but no one can predict accidents.
eSports
eSports are one of the most popular additions to the world of gambling that has come up in recent years. There are many reasons for this. Computer and video games have become more sophisticated than ever and they’ve become a part of mainstream culture as well. It’s now possible to bet on almost any of such games, including the non-sport ones.
The same rules apply as with any other betting and the odds are set by the betting sites, based on past performance. Bets can be combined and players can get an advantage by learning what they can from the players involved.
To Sum Up
Many smaller and less popular sports events have their niche communities that you can bet on. These sports are just as exciting and rewarding to bet on as the popular ones, but the fans are more welcoming and less competitive than with big league events.
Wagers that the players can make on these sports are usually similar to the ones you can make on football or any other sport that involves points. The bets can be combined and multiplied and learning about a team or a player puts you at an advantage when betting.