Since their inception, sports betting futures have been a mainstay of online sportsbooks across Africa — and Tanzania is no exception.
Considering futures odds are so attractive, it’s no wonder why so many are rubbing their crystal ball and locking in bets.
Before you can decide if sports betting futures are right for you, you need to understand what they are, the types of futures bets, futures odds, and the pros and cons. Once you’ve got this down, you can be confident you’re betting in the right market.
A futures bet is a great way to test your sports knowledge and they are really simple to understand. One future prediction that is sure to come to fruition is, after reading this guide, you’ll be equipped with all the tools necessary to place a winning bet.
Read on so you can make an educated decision on whether a futures bet is the logical next step in your online betting journey — like it has been for so many successful punters in Africa.
Contents
What are Futures Bets?
A futures bet is a wager on an event, award, or series that can only be determined well into the future.
Think of betting on the league champion, who will win the MVP award or a team’s regular season win percentage. These are all popular options available in a futures bet market.
Unlike a live bet, the quintessence of sports betting futures lies in the timeframe from when the bet is placed to when the outcome actually occurs — hence the name.
Depending on the sportsbook, you can wager in a shorter timeframe, but the odds will be adjusted accordingly.
How Futures Odds Work
Typically, a futures bet is placed during the preseason, with fixed odds at the time of the bet.
As the season plays out, circumstances such as injuries or player suspensions result in fluctuating odds. It’s actually part of why sports betting futures can be so intriguing.
If you placed an NBA futures bet on the New York Knicks to win the NBA Championship, you could potentially see decimal odds of 20.0 (because they’re notoriously bad).
Now, imagine mid-season they acquired a couple of all-star players via trade. The odds would plummet, reflecting their newly-acquired talent.
But luckily for you, the odds are fixed at the time of the bet meaning, in this situation, the probability of a payout is much more likely.
Popular Types of Futures Bets
A futures bet is a prop bet with seemingly unlimited possibilities. Some of them can even surround the status of a coach’s employment!
Take a look at what savvy punters across Africa are betting on and why.
League Championship
Betting on the league championship is, hands down, the most popular futures bet.
Although futures bets are available for all sports, league championship NFL futures betting has become particularly popular in Tanzania.
Unlike the NBA or MLB, there is only one championship game — The Super Bowl. Due to this everyone’s tuning in.
Equally, it’s relatively easy to predict so bettors feel like they have a good chance of winning.
A league championship futures bet is pretty simple to understand. You just pick the team you think will hoist the trophy at the end of the season and enjoy the ride.
Most Valuable Player Award (MVP)
With a league championship futures bet you are concerned with the performance of a team. However, in an MVP futures bet you are only concerned with one (and only one) specific player.
Most commonly seen in basketball, the NBA lends itself very well to MVP bets. This is specifically because there are only five players on the court at a time and typically the starting five remain in the game for most of its entirety.
Since the games are played so frequently (two to five times a week) and the likely MVP candidates are on the court for most of the game, you can really become enveloped in the action.
Conference Championship
Similar to a futures bet on the league championship, betting on the conference championship is as the name suggests. You’re picking who you think will win a subdivision of the league.
This style of betting is most popular in leagues where there are many conferences, such as the NCAA. The primary reason is that powerhouse collegiate teams have systems in place to remain on top.
Also, success breeds success, and the best high school athletes typically look to play for Universities with a track record of repeated prosperity — making it relatively easy to determine the conference winners.
Big Events
Not every sport follows the traditional preseason, regular season, postseason format. For example, golf hosts prestigious worldwide events throughout the course of the year known as majors.
There are four major tournaments: The Masters, The Open, The PGA Championship, and The US Open. Similar to betting on the league championship, when betting on a major event, you are simply wagering on who will win the whole event.
Golf isn’t the only sport that hosts major tournaments or events. Other popular options are the triple crown in horse racing, grand slams in tennis, and global events like The World Cup or The Olympic Games.
In a traditional sports league with a regular season and a playoff, only one champion is crowned per year.
A futures bet on big events has become such an appealing option for bettors across Africa because there are so many tournaments throughout the course of the year. As mentioned previously, golf has four alone.
Win Percentage
A baseball season in the MLB (Major League Baseball) has a whopping 162 games. This long season lends itself well to betting on a team’s win percentage at the end.
It’s slightly different from a moneyline bet. It’s actually a totals bet, or otherwise referred to as an over/under bet on the win percentage of a team at the end of the regular season.
You wager on whether you think a team will achieve a higher (or lower) win percentage than the figure set forth by the bookmaker.
If you want to learn more about the different types of bets that Parimatch offers, check out these articles:
- Double chance bets
- Handicap bets
- Total (over/under) bets
- Correct score bets
- Both teams to score bets
- Draw bets
- No draw bets
- Half-time/full-time bets
Futures Bets Tips And Strategies
It’s always a good idea to have a strategy before you wager your hard-earned money.
Here are some of the best time-tested tips that will help you along the way.
Pay attention to previous season statistics
This tip is primarily relevant if you are placing a futures bet on individual accolades like the MVP award. As the name suggests, the most valuable player in a league typically finishes on the top of the leaderboard in one (or all) departments.
In the previous year, if a player finished second or third in MVP voting, and not much changed during the offseason, they would be a safe bet to wager on.
Be mindful of players’ age
Players get older and their output on the pitch suffers over time. Remember that father time is undefeated.
If a player had a great season the year before but is approaching the twilight of their career, it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect them to perform at the same level as they did in their prime.
Pay attention to how prone players are to injury
The most consequential component of a team’s lack of success is the athletes’ health. Certain players are more prone to injury than others.
It’s not wise to make a futures bet on individual awards or team accomplishments when a player or team is injury-prone.
Did you know that Michael Jordan, the best basketball player of all time (according to most), was picked third in his draft class? Do you know who was picked second? Probably not because he (Sam Bowie) was riddled with so many injuries that his NBA career was over before it even started.
At that time (1984) medical science wasn’t where it’s at today, and it was difficult to predict who the injury-prone guys were. But that was then, this is now. Use the information out there to determine which players get injured most often.
Be aware of offseason acquisitions
This is a big one for sports betting futures. The offseason is the primary component bookmakers pay attention to when setting the futures odds.
Think about the scenario mentioned before with the New York Knicks mid-season acquisitions, and how that changed the futures odds.
You need to be aware of all the happenings in the offseason, with a focus on the players and staff.
With a futures bet, you are testing your knowledge and understanding versus the bookmakers. You have to be aware of what they’re concerned with so you’re not at a disadvantage.
The Pros of Futures Bets
Sports betting is all about weighing the risk versus the reward.
Here are some of the reasons why so many people in Tanzania are getting in on the action.
Season Long of Entertainment
As previously mentioned, at the core of a futures bet is the lengthiness of the bet. Instead of placing multiple bets throughout the course of a season, you can place a single wager at the beginning.
What’s more, you can link multiple bets in parlays and systems to sweeten the deal.
Adding separate legs to your bet, with the option to bet across multiple sports, truly makes for a rewarding betting (and viewing) experience.
There Is Money To Be Won
As you could probably guess, with such a lofty timeline from bet to outcome, there is an equally comparable payout at the end if you win. After all, it’s hard enough to bet on the outcome of a single game, let alone an entire season or tournament.
Bookmakers reward you handsomely for predicting the future of specific aspects of an entire season or event.
Futures odds may be the single biggest reason why so many people are attracted to sports betting futures. With such great odds, coupled with the unpredictable nature of a long season, it’s clear why futures have become so popular.
The Cons of Futures Bets
Every bettor is different, which is part of the reason why online sportsbooks offer so much choice. You have to ask, is the juice worth the squeeze?
Here’s a look at what you’ll be sacrificing to get the delicious nectar.
Your money is tied up for a long time
Remember, a futures bet is typically placed in the preseason, and a winning pick won’t payout until the latter portion of a season-long campaign. Logically, this means your money will be tied up accordingly and a return on investment (ROI) isn’t realistic until the distant future.
For some, this may feel like a burden depending on their patience and bankroll.
Most gamblers are in it for quick enjoyment, and depending on how you look at it, a futures bet could sap the thrill you’re looking for.
Sports betting futures are inherently difficult
Futures odds have the potential for insane payouts, the reason is because the outcomes are not easy to predict.
Online sportsbooks are fair, none fairer than Parimatch in respect to futures odds. What this means is that the online bookmakers set odds so that the risk/reward ratio is balanced as close to 1:1 as possible.
Since the bets are harder (higher risk) the payouts are greater (higher reward).
Anyone with a sports betting strategy revolved around mitigating risk, a futures bet is probably not the right avenue to take.
Conclusion
Sports betting futures are as popular as ever and only gaining momentum in hopeful bettors across Africa.
With season-long enjoyment and the potential for game-changing payouts, it’s obvious why so many in Tanzania are pulling the trigger on a futures bet.
The money is flooding out and you don’t want to miss your chance to claim your share.
Before placing a bet, it’s vital to understand if sports betting futures are right for you. Hopefully after reading this guide you have a better indication of whether you should place a bet in the futures marketplace.
The future is yours, make it count with Parimatch.