What Is Micro-Betting And How Does It Work?

Micro sports bettering is a popular way to get involved with wagers, but what is it, and how does it work? Here’s what you should know before you get started.

What Is Micro-Betting?

Micro-betting is a new way to bet on things happening during sports events. In this format, you can bet on minor actions occurring in a game, usually just before they happen.

For example, in traditional betting, you might try to predict which baseball team will win the game. In micro-betting, you might wager on whether a specific player will hit a home run the next time they’re at bat.

Two main things set micro-betting apart from traditional wagers.

First, micro-bets tend to be in smaller amounts. While it’s possible to place a larger bet, many people prefer wagering somewhere between $1 and $5.

Even if you take losses the whole game, you’re probably not going to lose much money. While there are many reasons for this, a lot of it has to do with how people prefer to have large bets reflect dramatic moments.

Second, micro-bets tend to display their results much faster than traditional bets. In ordinary wagers, you have to wait several hours for a game to finish before you know if you won or not. In micro-betting, you might get the result in a few minutes. 

The rapid resolution of micro-betting can help it feel more involved. You can watch the flow of a game and try to predict changes and upsets, or even put your money where your mouth is if you’re debating with friends about the results.

Micro-betting is similar to live betting but focuses on more immediate resolutions. Live bets usually focus on things that take longer to resolve, like a whole quarter in an NBA game.

Where Is Micro-Betting Available?

Micro-betting is broadly available in areas that allow sportsbooks and general betting. Some companies include micro-bets alongside their main bets, while other organizations offer them on a different platform.

Unsurprisingly, they’re popular in big sportsbooks. However, you may have to navigate their systems a little to find the micro-bets, and these bets might be under a different name. Companies frequently include them with prop bets due to some similarities between them.

However, as with all betting, local regulations may limit micro-betting. Make sure to check the regulations in your area if you’re interested in micro-betting.

DraftKings

DraftKings is one of the largest online betting sites, covering an array of professional and college-level sports. Their list includes standards like football, basketball, and baseball, but they also take bets on esports, racing, and more.

DraftKings is aggressive and flexible about contest types, including contests against other players and in-game showdowns that focus on the second half of a game or even overtime. Their overall style meshes well with micro-betting.

FanDuel

FanDuel is another major sportsbook. They emphasize fantasy sports but offer a wide array of live bets on specific events. However, FanDuel doesn’t support as many sports as DraftKings, so you may have limited options for things like micro-bets on racing.

BetRivers

BetRivers isn’t as well-known as some other platforms, but they offer a wide range of bets on different sports and events. This platform includes the staples you expect from a sportsbook and more unusual things like technology events and lesser-known sports like jai-alai.

Adding New Micro-Bets

Availability of micro-bets can vary by event, but the main limiting factor is that if a sportsbook isn’t willing to take your bet, then there isn’t much you can do. Sportsbooks open to more events are fundamentally more likely to offer micro-bets.

One way around this is to contact a sportsbook directly and ask them to start offering more micro-bets. The bets should be something they can reasonably track during the event, preferably with enough people betting to make it worthwhile.

Showing your interest in micro-bets tells sportsbooks what they can focus on to make things better for you, so proactively contacting them and urging them to expand can get you quite far.

Best Sports To Micro-Bet On

Opinions vary about the best sports to follow for micro sports betting, and personal preference tends to win out. However, some competitions are particularly well-suited to this kind of betting.

Baseball

Baseball is a good option for micro sports betting because things tend to resolve quickly but the sport is a little more sedate and has downtime between bursts of activity. Events like a new player coming up to bat allow you to enter bets and watch the result.

Once play starts happening, it doesn’t take too long to resolve. A typical at-bat in baseball is just a few minutes at most. That’s already good for micro-betting, but baseball is also predictable in structure.

Having a structured game makes it easier for sportsbooks to come up with different ways to micro-bet the outcome.

Basketball

Basketball is a popular sport for micro-betting, though it can also be a little difficult to manage.

Games are quick by nature, which is good for micro-betting, but things can happen so quickly that you don’t have time to enter a bet before things change. You have to stay even more on the ball than the layers here, but many people do enjoy it.

Football

Easily one of the most popular sports in America, football is rife with opportunities for micro-bets. Depending on the sportsbook, you may be able to predict plays, who’s likely to score next, or how a team plans to score.

Micro-betting can also be more exciting in football because it’s famously competitive at the professional level.

There can be genuine uncertainty each year about who’s likely to win between specific teams, and it’s only towards the end of the season that things become clearer. Bets may also be available for college-level football, which is extremely popular in some areas. 

Golf

Golfing is a great sport for micro-betting. You can wager on things like how many shots it will take to get the ball into the hole or whether the next swing will send a ball off the green.

Like baseball, golf is a relatively slow-paced sport that gives you time to figure out what’s coming and place bets on what’s likely to happen.

Soccer

Soccer is popular all over the world, and many sportsbooks are happy to take bets on both local and international games. There are thousands of games going on each year, with opportunities for placing wagers on things like the first person to score in the game.

Soccer also benefits from being popular enough internationally that people want to bet on different factors of the game. Companies keep track of these things, so it’s possible to make wagers on them.

Tennis

Although many people outside the sport don’t associate it with betting, tennis is quite friendly to micro-bets. Matches are direct competitions between players and have a clearly understood scoring format.

Like baseball, the structure lends itself well to micro-bets because you can generally predict what will happen, even if it may take some time to get there.

Micro-Betting vs. Prop Betting

Both micro-bets and prop bets are usually smaller wagers than things like the outcomes of games (or, if you’re particularly brave, entire seasons). However, there are some important differences between the options.

Micro-bets focus on specific actions during the game, like whether a player is going to score.

Prop bets tend to focus on the players, the team, or the game, and often include things that don’t relate directly to the final score. For example, a prop bet may ask whether a player will run a certain distance during the game. 

The line between the two can be blurry and even bookmakers don’t always agree on where to separate them.

As a rule of thumb, though, if it takes longer to resolve or doesn’t relate directly to the score, it’s probably a prop bet. If it has a more immediate resolution, it’s probably a micro-bet.

Either way, sportsbooks often put micro-bets and prop bets together, so the difference is more academic than practical.

Risks

Micro sports betting is a form of gambling, and like all betting, there are fundamental risks associated with it.

First, you can lose a lot of money quickly if you end up betting too much. It can be easy to lose track of how much you’re winning and losing during a fast-paced game, so if things go south, you could end up spending a lot more than you intended.

Second, it can be harder to make good predictions about micro-bets than regular bets. Some people find this fun, but odds can change rapidly in micro-betting and you may not have enough time to fully consider the options. This requires a different mindset than regular bets.

Gambling addiction is always a possibility, especially if you think a turnaround is just around the corner. It’s always better to set a budget and stick to that, even if that means you take a loss. Only bet amounts that you can afford to lose.

Conclusion

If you love sports and a good contest that may also bring you some monetary rewards, try micro-betting! It is likely to make your favorite game nights more lively and turn into a friendly competition with your mates or family.