Sports betting is often associated with English people or the European demographic. But did you know that it’s an extremely popular pastime activity in Asia too? If you didn’t, Tim Harrison from BetZillion is here yet again to blow your minds with interesting facts.
The purpose of this post is to educate you on the Asian betting scene and what the effects of the trends might be for British punters.
Overview of Sports Betting in Asia
When you hear “Asia,” what comes to your mind? For us, it’s countries like Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and many others. In reality, the spectrum of the term “Asia” is quite broad, and there are lots of other countries that are prominent in betting culture.
Photo by Shun Idota, UnSplash
The sports itinerary is slightly different when it comes to Asian punters. For example, cricket is extremely popular across all countries. Football, golf, motor sports, tennis, etc., comes close to cricket. Western sports such as American Football or ice hockey don’t get much traction in this part of the world.
We’ll explore more sports and tournaments as we progress through the post today. But before that, there’s a piece of news that took British punters by storm very recently. If you follow domestic tournaments like the English Premier League, you may have seen betting company logos on players’ shirts. Apparently, that’s about to change.
The UK Government has plans to eradicate gambling logos from jerseys altogether. This approach is to alleviate gambling’s influence over the matches. Although it’s a little early to predict that the outcome of this decision might be, there’s no way to deny that it will have long-lasting effects on the betting culture in the UK.
Now, coming back to the topic, BetZillion expert Tim Harrison has shared his thoughts with us about Asian bookmakers. Let’s get into that right away.
Tim Harrison to Deadline News: The Sports to Look out for in Asia
Before Tim goes into the details of different sports, the reason behind their popularity, and potential tournaments, you might want to check out his list of all Asian bookies first.
As the BetZillion expert already told you, the sports itinerary is slightly different from the European and American betting scene. The economic status and the biological factors of the demographics also play a major role in this.
Let’s get into the sports one by one and see what betting on them may look like.
Cricket
Cricket is undoubtedly the biggest thing in Asian countries, especially in India and its neighboring country, Bangladesh. Although Bangladeshis are not very active punters, their love for cricket cannot be ignored.
ICC World Cup for both one-day and T20 matches are the most significant international events in this region. If you didn’t know already, both events take place every 4 years.
In the meantime, numerous domestic cricket leagues keep the punters busy. Namely, the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Afghanistan Premier League (APL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), etc., are the most prominent.
The best bookmakers that Tim suggested all offer spectacular odds during these tournaments. All punters have to do is keep an eye on the bookmaker’s website when the events are live.
Some popular markets in this sport are:
- Toss winner
- Match winner
- Man of the match
- Man of the tournament
- Top batsman
- To score a century
- And lots of others
Football
If there’s one sport that can come close to cricket in terms of popularity, it would be football. Tim has experienced it first-hand when working with Asian bookies in the past. The craze for football is mostly hidden, so the outside world doesn’t get a complete picture immediately.
However, things change when there’s a big tournament. Take the FIFA World Cup, for example. When the World Cup is one, both the general audience and the punters go crazy on the markets. Interestingly, many people wait for the World Cup to get a TV! It might not make sense to a lot of you, but TVs are quite expensive in Asia.
Apart from the World, the fanbase for European domestic leagues such as the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, etc., is pretty big.
The famous football markets would be:
- Match odds
- Score prediction
- Both teams to score
- Halftime/fulltime
- Asian handicap
- 1×2 bets
Tennis
When people from Asia hear the term “tennis,” names like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Sania Mirza, etc., cross their minds. It’s because the first 2 are global stars, while Sania Mirza is India’s very own tennis star.
As Tim says, the craze for tennis is not nearly as intense as cricket or football. But it’s still there. Punters love to try their luck on this sport because there are not many variables compared to the other 2.
To top off the discussion, Tim is ready to give you the best markets on tennis.
- Outright winner
- Match winner
- Set betting
- The highest number of aces
- Finalists
- Winner without favourite
Tim’s Tips on How to Succeed with Asian Bookies
If you are interested in sports betting and share the same love for Asian sports and leagues, your best wager is betting on Asian bookmakers. In this section, we’re going to gather Tim Harrison’s tips on how you can maximize your potential.
Go for the Higher Odds
When you’re betting with an Asian bookie, you can find higher odds when compared to European bookmakers. The trick is to identify the events and place wagers on them at the right time.
Look for Higher Limits
Interestingly, many Asian sportsbooks offer higher deposit and withdrawal limits. It’s partly because the government does not yet regulate most markets. So, the operators don’t have to go under scrutiny.
But it doesn’t mean your money is at risk. Because the bookmakers Tim listed are all licensed and regulated by their respective country of origins. In the UK, that would be the Gambling Commission.
Wait for the Popular Leagues
Whether you prefer cricket, football, or tennis, make sure you place the right bets at the right time. You can expect the highest odds during high-voltage tournaments like the IPL or Copa America.
Learn about Hong Kong Odds before We Part Ways
Tim shared his thoughts on Hong Kong odds with us as the final tip. European bookies generally rely on decimal, fractional, and American odds. But when it comes to Asian bookies, Hong Kong odds are extremely popular.
The formula is very simple. If you’re already familiar with decimal odds, all you have to do is subtract 1 from it. So, the procedure goes Hong Kong odds = decimal odds – 1.
The Wrap Up
Understanding and onboarding the Asian bookies is somewhat confusing for the new prospective punters. We can’t thank Tim from BetZillion enough for taking the time and educating us on the topic.
