If you're a sports enthusiast and had wished to wager on sports within the past, but were weighed down by all of the technical jargon such as point spreads, odds, and book making, relax. After you have read this post, you shall be ready to participate in a short time frame. Although sports betting may appear quite difficult in the early stages, it isn't as complex as it may seem.

Gambling had deep roots in England and quite naturally, the colonists brought their love of gambling over to the usa and continued with the tradition. Early colonists are already known to bet on cock-fighting, boxing, and horse racing. In the early nineteenth century, a large number of gambling was centered on horse racing with boxing in second place. In contrast, with increasing popularity of baseball, the focus of sports gambling shifted to baseball betting towards the later part of the century.

By the start of the 20th century, sports like the school basketball and football started getting the attention of open public and with the passage of time these sports were competing with baseball with regard to popularity. The earliest type of wagering on football and basketball involved the usage of odds - a system still practiced today - often known as the money line.

The method of betting with money line posed big problems for the bookmakers and they were forced to come up with a substitute. A majority of gambles were inclined to place bets on college teams that have been quite superior to their opponents, making the outcome of the matches a foregone conclusion and resulting in losses for book makers. Just prior to the Second World War broke out, the bookmakers introduce a brand new method of sports gambling that transformed this industry forever.

In basic terms, the point spread is a handicap that's placed on the likely winner of any basket ball or football game in points. As an example, if the Lakers were expected to simply demolish the Clippers, the point spread for the game might be calculated at as high as 20 points. Simply put, 20 points will be either subtracted from the total score of Lakers score, or added to the total score of Clippers. In such a case, any sports enthusiast who placed a sports bet on the Lakers would only earn money should the Lakers win by at least 21 points. Similarly, gamblers wagering on the Clippers stand to win their bets should the Clippers win the game and even in the event the Clippers lose the game, gamblers can still win provided Clippers lose by 19 points or less.

The point spread helped the bookmakers to balance their books as bets on sports were more evenly placed when compared with the previous system where many gamblers placed bets on the exact same teams.

The huge success of the point spread helped the bookmakers recognize that the better betting options the public had, the greater bets they will be prone to place. This realization resulted within the establishment of another system, the totals. Often known as "overs / unders,", this betting proposition provides the gamblers to bet on the total score of both the teams, irrespective of the outcome of the game.

Sports betting has gone through many stages of evolution with the passage of time. Bookmakers have continued to put together betting methods and opportunities, excellent online soccer (try these out) latest of them being teasers and parlays. On the flip side, placing a sports bet with the traditional money line, against the point spread, or through totals, continue being the three most popular forms of sports gambling. Regardless of what sports you follow, there is an equal opportunity now to earn money through your favorite sports.