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In the event that you are 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've got read this post, you shall be ready to participate in a short time period. Although sports betting may appear quite overwhelming to start with, 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 happen to be known to bet on cock-fighting, boxing, and horse racing. In the early nineteenth century, virtually all gambling was centered on horse racing with boxing in second place. However, with increasing popularity of baseball, the focus of sports gambling shifted to baseball betting towards the later involved in the century.

Through the start of the 20th century, sports like the college basketball and football started getting the attention of general public and with the passage of time these sports were competing with baseball when it comes to popularity. The earliest form of wagering on football and basketball involved the use of odds - a system still practiced today - better known as the cash 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 who were quite superior to their opponents, making the outcome of the matches a foregone conclusion and resulting in losses for book makers. Just before the Second World War broke out, the bookmakers introduce a new method of sports gambling that transformed this industry forever.

In simple terms, the point spread is a handicap that's placed on the likely winner of the basket ball or football game in points. For instance, should the Lakers were expected to simply demolish the Clippers, the point spread for the game could be calculated at as high as 20 points. To put it simply, 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 agent enthusiast who placed a sports bet on the Lakers would only make money in the event the Lakers win by at least 21 points. Similarly, gamblers wagering on the Clippers stand to win their bets if the Clippers win the game and also 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 professional sports were more evenly placed as compared to the previous system where a large number of gamblers placed bets on the same teams.

The huge success of the point spread helped the bookmakers realize that the better betting options the public had, the better bets they would be prone to place. This realization resulted in the creation of another system, the totals. Generally 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, latest of them being teasers and parlays. Conversely, placing a sports bet with the traditional money line, against the point spread, or through totals, remain the 3 most popular forms of sports gambling. No matter what sports you follow, there is an equal opportunity now to earn money through your favorite sports.

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