Betting seems pretty straightforward under normal circumstances. You can bet on various sporting events like football, basketball, and others in betting parlors or online, depending on the betting regulation of your country or state.
However, there is a special type of bet called a novelty bet. This piece is dedicated to unveiling the mystery of this type of bet and what it is you can actually bet on.
Novelty Bets
Novelty bets, as the name implies, are new or unusual bets. That means that you do not bet on actual sporting events and their outcome, but on events people have much less control over. These types of bets include, but are not limited to: betting on the result of the coin toss before certain games, how long a vowel will be sung during the anthem at a sporting event, who is going to win an election, and the possible colors of the hat that the Queen of England is going to wear at the Royal Ascot.
Many bookmakers, though obviously, not all of them, offer some form of novelty betting. The payouts are clear and leave very little room for misunderstandings. You may have also encountered these bets under the names side bets, props, or proposition bets. Sadly, like other forms of betting, even novelty bets are not completely immune to fixing and tampering, as betting on a certain occurrence, regardless of whether it affects the sporting event in question, can still be orchestrated.
What Is the Appeal?
People might enjoy novelty bets because they require far less skill than traditional sports betting. True sports fans have a pretty clear idea who is more likely to win in a match between, say, the Lakers and the Bulls, or between Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer. On the other hand, these same sports fans have no idea how many fouls are going to be called out during a match, how many players will have to sit the game out, or any other occurrences you can bet on.
Novelty betting provides fans of this hobby to still have fun with their sports-loving friends and enthusiasts. Furthermore, it gives the already epic events a bit of extra spice. Will the baby of a power-couple be a boy or a girl? Will there be a host to the Oscars and who can we expect? These questions and more are the reason novelty bets are so popular.
Should I Try It?
If you are going to try novelty betting, we must insist on a few precautions. First of all, make sure your region is okay with betting and what the limits are. Secondly, understand that betting is a hobby or an interest and not a way to make money. Novelty betting is an interesting way to pass the time before the next big sporting event everyone is waiting for.