With its early origins, betting on cricket can be presumed to have started centuries ago. Particularly near the turn of the 18th Century, when cricket became the official sport of England, betting on matches was rampant. Fast-forward to present day, and betting on cricket is as popular as ever.
Any legitimate European sportsbook will have cricket as a betting option, and popularity should rise in the United States as well alongside the growing legalization across the country. While it is not quite on the same level as football or basketball, cricket betting is a much more frequented segment of sportsbooks than you would think!
How to bet on cricket
Betting on cricket does require you to know some of the more complex rules of the game, particularly with the scoring system. On the surface, you can simply bet on cricket like any other team sport, which is to wager on the outright winner of the match.
This is the same as betting the moneyline in a football or basketball game, so all the team needs to do is win! You can also bet on things like the opening coin toss, team totals for runs scored, and even how many runs will be scored in a given inning. Like with most sports, betting sites have also introduced the ability to bet on individual or team props. You can place a wager on whom you believe will be the top batsman or bowler for each side at the end of the match.
Want to get even more specific? If you learn about the cricket scoring system, you can wager on which batter will have the most sixes by the end of the match. If you want some more immediate gratification, you can even bet on the 1st wicket method, a fifty or a hundred to be scored in the match, and which team will get the most runs out.