Inarguably, the NBA reboot at Disney World in Orlando, Florida will go down as one of the most exciting times in the history of professional basketball, and the postseason is bringing much more of the same thrilling action. Basketball fans are loving it, the league is showing its skills at managing adversity and sportsbooks are seeing a huge turnout. Global sports gambling portal Bodog continues to attract a lot of action in many sports, but the NBA is indisputably leading the way. The statistics from this past weekend show exactly how important major sports are to sportsbooks everywhere.
From August 21 to 23, 53.16% of the action on Bodog was on NBA games. This isn’t only because there were a lot of games on tap, but also because the games that were played in Round 1 of the playoffs were destined to be awesome – and they didn’t disappoint. From rookies setting new records to clutch baskets as time was winding down, basketball this weekend was on fire.
While the NBA took the most bets as a league, MLB was up there, as well. It accounted for 22.36% of the wagers placed, with the NHL following in third place with 6.22%. Almost no sport was left out, though, as the UEFA Champions League, Ultimate Fighter Championship, PGA and tennis also captured a piece of the action. Even ping pong is still finding a home with sports gamblers, receiving 1.67% of the bets on Bodog this past weekend. With so many options now available, compared to what was seen just a few short months ago, sportsbooks and gamblers both are staying busy almost around the clock.
As far as individual sports events, Saturday’s NBA game between the LA Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers saw more action than the others, receiving 12.4% of the bets on Bodog. After dropping Game 1 to the Trail Blazers, the Lakers bounced back in Game 2 and followed that up with Saturday’s win to move ahead 2-1 in the series. That game was an important step in the Lakers’ attempt at capturing a title this year, and they pushed things even further with a spectacular win again last night.
The Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz met up on Sunday, leading Utah to take a 3-1 lead in the series. This game also drew a lot of attention on Bodog, falling only slightly behind the Lakers-Blazers game with 11.84% of the wagers. If the Jazz take today’s game, they will move on in the playoffs, while the Nuggets will be sent home. If they lose, though, the series will be forced into at least one more game.
Out of the top ten spots on Bodog from this weekend, only one was not occupied by an NBA game. In eighth place, the UEFA match between Paris St-Germain (PSG) and FC Bayern München saw 8.98% of the action. The Champions League final saw Bayern take a complete sweep of the season without losing a single game, culminating in a 1-0 victory for the championship against PSG. It would take just under 60 minutes for a goal to be scored, but it was the one Bayern needed in order to taste victory.
The NBA and MLB action is certain to keep sportsbooks busy in the coming weeks and, with the NFL season fast approaching, there will be even more great betting opportunities to come. In some respects, things are finally starting to return to normal, and sports are helping make that happen.
