Micro-betting is a buzzword on sites about online gambling, but the concept can be confusing for the uninitiated. Depending on whether the site supports sports betting or opposes the pastime, micro-betting is either an innocent way to make your favourite sport even more interactive, or a sure-fire gateway to problem gambling.
The truth, as always, probably lies somewhere between the two extremes. Pragmatically, in the age of mobile phones and global connectivity, it must be acknowledged that micro-betting on sports is now an established option available to gaming fans online, and a popular one. It is best considered, then, with as much information and transparency as possibly.
What Micro-Betting Means
Micro-betting is also called in-play or live betting; it involves making bets on individual actions or events you predict will happen in the short term during a game. So, the bets are “micro” not because they are tiny wagers; as critics point out, some can be irresponsibly large.
They are “micro” in that they are about trivial bits of the game, not the grand outcome. You’re not betting that your team will win a baseball match, just that this pitcher will strike the next batter out, for example. Or not: micro-bets can be placed against events happening, too.
As mobile betting options continue improving, especially with the introduction of 5G technology, micro-betting will become closely woven into sports watching. Cricket, for example, sees six balls bowled per over, with matches lasting 40, 100 or 450 overs, and actions worth betting on by bowlers, batters or fielders possible during every one of those balls.
How To Bet Responsibly
The temptation when micro-betting, especially as a match draws to a close and the number of possibilities shrinks dramatically, is to start throwing bigger bets at the long shots. Sometimes, a decent punt on a long shot late it the game pays off, but long shots are long shots for a reason. More often than not, they lose.
A more responsible way to play through a micro-betting session is to treat it like slots: stick to a budget and a habitual low bet, with the object of playing as long as possible without going bust, while hoping for a windfall. Only wager money you can afford to lose, so that if you do lose, there is no desperation to “win it back”; there’s always your next modest betting session for that.
Comparing Betting Sites
Many sports betting sites now offer specific apps for different mobile devices, that allow you to place in-play bets while you watch a sporting event. If you download apps from different betting sites, you will be able to shop around on every bet.
Which site is offering longer odds on a shot you reckon is going to come off? Where can you take a bet on this soccer player getting sent off in the second half? Who is still offering the favourite at even money?
Approached this way, micro-betting can indeed become a fascinating, time-consuming hobby akin to collecting or twitching. How much money it costs you, however, depends entirely on your discipline when budgeting your bets.