Even though most forms of gambling are prohibited in India, the online gambling industry is not regulated. In fact, online gambling forms like sports betting and casinos are growing popular in the country, and most of the big players in the online gambling industry accept players from India these days.
Among all the sports betting enthusiasts in India, one of the commonly asked questions is what the best sports to bet on are. Although cricket is the most followed and celebrated sport in India, it’s good to explore other options and have some variety.
Here is a generalized list of the 5 best sports to bet in India based on their overall popularity, viewership, and the betting opportunities available.
Cricket
Do we even have to explain about cricket? There’s already a saying that ‘Cricket is a religion in India.’ And the love for cricket among Indians is not just limited to their national team. You’ll find a packed stadium in India even if the match is being played between two foreign teams. The sport is not just a form of entertainment but an important cultural aspect of India. So it’s no surprise that a large population of cricket lovers also enjoy betting on the sport.
Realizing the incredible popularity of cricket in India, sportsbooks also focus on it when targeting Indian audiences. You are likely to find excellent odds, extensive coverage of every match, and a large selection of betting options when it comes to cricket.
Even before you read past the title of this post, you must have already known that cricket will be the first sport on this list, and it rightfully is!
Football (Soccer)
Football is definitely the next big sport in India after cricket. It has a large fan following and viewership in the country, and most football fans in India mostly follow the English Premier League. Popular PL clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea have millions of loyal Indian fans.
Football is also one of the most popular sports globally, so there is a huge betting market for it. You can easily find hundreds of betting options for big tournament matches, and things get even more exciting during high-level competitions like UCL. Another good thing about football is that it’s a good sport to bet on, even for beginners. You can get started with simple outright bets and gradually get to understand more advanced bets such as over/under, handicaps, accumulators, etc.
Considering soccer’s popularity and the fact that it is one of the most highlighted sports in the betting market, you should definitely get your hands on football betting.
Tennis
India has produced some big and notable figures in tennis like Leander Paes and Sania Mirza. Major tournaments like WTA and ATP are widely covered in Indian media, so followers of the sport can stay updated to every happening event. Tennis garners huge viewership in the country so there’s no doubt that it’s one of the most popular sports.
The best sports betting sites in India offer excellent betting options for tennis. There are many operators that have competitive odds for tennis matches where you can get substantial returns if you make the right prediction. You can also bet in Indian currency and avoid losing money on currency conversions. So if you love tennis, then this should be good news for you that tennis is one of the best sports to bet in India.
Badminton
Badminton doesn’t just have a huge fan following, but it’s also the second most played sport in India after cricket. Players like Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu have glorified the Indian badminton status. It’s only expected that such a reputed and popular sport also has an equally popular betting market behind it.
One of the main reasons badminton is a good sport to bet on is that it’s simple to understand the game rules. If you already know the ins and outs of the game, you’ll have an easy time betting on it. But even if you don’t know much about badminton but want to explore betting options, it’s not that hard to catch up with the rules of the game. Most betting sites readily cover hundreds of badminton games, so you have many platforms to choose from with exciting odds that payout well.
Kabaddi
Kabaddi may not be as big as other sports we have mentioned so far. In fact, one could argue that there are more popular sports in India, such as hockey, racing, boxing, and MMA. But there are many reasons why we have picked Kabaddi over the other sports. It’s worth mentioning that Kabaddi is a sport that originated from India so it has deep historical roots in the country. But that doesn’t have much to do with why it’s one of the best sports for betting.
The main reason is that Kabaddi is gradually evolving into an extremely popular and followed sport in India. For example, the Pro Kabaddi League franchise turned out to be a huge success and garnered viewership in billions, and rightfully so because it produced a lot of close call, nail-biting matches. Currently, there are a lot of tournaments, players, and teams in Kabaddi which are gaining the attention of sports fans as well as betting operators.
Since Kabaddi is already very popular and shows signs of progress in India, it’s to be expected that the betting market for this sport will get a lot better with time. That is why now a favorable time to get started with Kabaddi betting is.
Conclusion
These are our picks for the top 5 best sports to bet in India. The main factor that we focused on is the overall popularity of the sports and the available betting market. So we can guarantee that each of these sports has millions of viewers and followers, and you can find a wide variety of betting options for these sports on almost any well-known sports betting site. If you like to bet on different sports and enjoy more variety when it comes to betting, then these are the top five sports you should consider.
