Betting and wagering have always been one of the most popular pastimes for thousands upon thousands of people all around the world. Wagering is a universal appeal, transcending borders and languages through shared goals and appeal, presenting users with a potentially lucrative way of earning some extra cash, whilst also helping to teach unique skills and providing rushes of adrenaline and endorphins similar to riding a roller coaster or watching a high stakes sporting event.
Over the years, the most commonly thought of things when it comes to wagering and placing bets is the real-world sports industry, with the Horse Racing and Football/Soccer scenes being particularly dominant. However, with the rise of online betting as the industry’s most popular and accessible strand, there are more and more examples of the diversity of betting as a pursuit for everyone to sink their teeth into and enjoy.
With that in mind, here are some examples of the most innovative things you can now place your bets on in 2021.
Politics
Politics is undoubtedly one of the most dividing things in society, however, betting on it can be a nice unifying way of making some extra cash. Online bookmakers will often offer odds on outrights ahead of an election based on exit polls and predictions that allow users to put their money behind a certain party or politician.
Spread betting has found a home online with high-scoring real-world sports such as Basketball, Cricket, and American Football being especially popular, however, it also lends itself exceptionally well to wagering on Politics. With elections usually being contested with hundreds of seats and constituencies in play, spread betting is a great way of maximizing your winnings and making the most of your knowledge.
Video Games
The video game industry has grown exponentially over the past decade or so, growing to become the most lucrative strand of the entertainment sector. The multi-billion dollar industry is now worth more than the likes of its film and music rivals put together, and the advent of competitive gaming professionally, known as ‘Esports’ in the industry, is a huge driving force behind this.
With the Esports industry seeing a huge influx of audiences, investors, and sponsorships, leading titles such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, and Rocket League now boast richly stacked competitive calendars with tournaments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
And Esports betting has gone on to become one of the most exciting new forms of wagering online on the back of this growth. Players can now bet on their favorite players, titles, tournaments, and events through season outright and live in-play features at gaming specialist sites such as Unikrn.com as well as traditional bookmakers, with the community growing year on year and showing no signs of slowing anytime soon.
There are even new skill gaming and money match options popping up online around online where players can back themselves in their favorite games and make money on their own performances on the server.
The Weather
Talking about the weather is something that every single person is familiar with. Not only is it one of the favorite topics for people to call upon when it comes to small talk, but it is often at the center of people’s mood and planning, making it one of the most opinion-based subjects in society.
After all, we’ve all joked about the weather reports never being correct these days.
What some people might not have been aware of, however, is that many online bookmakers now offer odds and markets for people to bet on what they think the weather is going to be like each day. Bookies will often take a look at the weather reports over a set period of time and offer odds on how accurate users think the report is going to be. These markets can be something as simple as a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response to a question like ‘Will it rain?’, they can extend to exotic markets around specific conditions such as rain, snow, sunshine, etc. and there’s even potential spread betting markets focused around temperature amounts and how right or wrong reports are over how hot or cold it gets.