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All About Odds Boosts
Odds boosts are a popular feature at online sportsbooks, designed to attract bettors by offering enhanced odds on specific events, teams, or betting markets. This promotional strategy increases potential winnings without altering the stake, making certain bets more appealing.
While odds boosts can offer genuine value, their smart and responsible use is crucial for maintaining a healthy betting practice.
This guide looks into the strategic use of odds boosts, highlighting how to benefit from them while adhering to responsible betting principles, supplemented by examples from the industry.
Pros and Cons of Odds Boosts
Pros
- Higher Returns: The most immediate benefit is the potential for higher returns on your bets without an increased stake.
- Market Exploration: Odds boosts can encourage exploration of new betting markets you might not have considered otherwise.
- Value Betting: When used wisely, odds boosts can offer genuine value, providing an edge over the sportsbook.
Cons
- Impulse Betting Risk: The limited-time nature of odds boosts can pressure bettors into hasty decisions, potentially leading to regrettable bets.
- Limited Selection: The sportsbook selects the bets for odds boosts, which may not always align with your betting strategy or preferences.
- Stake Limitations: The maximum stake on odds-boosted bets is often capped, limiting the potential benefit for some bettors.
Understanding Odds Boosts
Odds boosts are promotions where a sportsbook offers increased odds for a specific bet, making the potential payout higher than usual.
These boosts can apply to a wide range of sports and betting types, including single bets, parlays boosts, and prop bets. The enhanced odds are usually available for a limited time and may be tied to particular events or outcomes.
Key Features of Odds Boosts
- Enhanced Payouts: By boosting the odds, sportsbooks increase the potential return on a bet without requiring a higher stake.
- Limited Availability: Odds boosts are typically offered on specific bets for a short duration, often around major sporting events.
- Bet Restrictions: There may be limits on the stake you can place on an odds-boosted bet, ensuring that the promotion remains financially viable for the sportsbook.
Strategies for Responsible Use
- Selective Betting: Only use odds boosts on bets you were already considering. Don't let the promotion dictate your betting choices.
- Understand the Value: Analyze whether the boosted odds offer real value or if they’re simply drawing attention to a less likely outcome.
- Maintain Your Budget: Stick to your predetermined betting budget, even when tempted by seemingly attractive odds boosts.
- Research Is Key: Do your homework on the events or outcomes being boosted to ensure your bet is informed and not just swayed by enhanced odds.
- Avoid Impulse Betting: Given their time-sensitive nature, odds boosts can lead to impulsive betting decisions. Take a moment to consider each bet's potential value and risks.
Examples of Odds Boosts
- DraftKings Sportsbook: Regularly offers odds boosts on major league sports, such as enhanced odds for a specific player to score the first touchdown in an NFL game or for a team to win by a certain margin.
- FanDuel Sportsbook: Features daily odds boosts across various sports, including basketball, football, and baseball. For instance, boosting the odds for a combined bet like both teams to score and the total points in an NBA game.
- BetMGM: Provides "Lion's Boosts" for select events, which might include increased odds for a home team win in MLB or for a specific fighter to win by knockout in a boxing match.
Odds boosts, when approached with a disciplined and informed strategy, can enrich the sports betting experience by offering the chance for higher payouts on selected events.
However, the allure of enhanced odds should never compromise the principles of responsible betting. By being selective, sticking to a budget, and conducting thorough research, bettors can integrate odds boosts into their overall betting approach effectively.
Remember, the goal of betting should always be to enjoy the game responsibly, with odds boosts serving as an occasional enhancement rather than the foundation of your betting strategy.
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Meet our Responsible Gambling Experts
Paruyr Shahbazyan
Paruyr Shahbazyan began his business career in 2000 as a private entrepreneur. Over thirteen years, he developed a deep understanding for business and leadership, laying a solid foundation for his professional journey.
In 2013, Paruyr stepped into the sports and betting industry as the founder and president of Bookmaker Rating. This online mass media platform, which he led until 2020, focused on providing in-depth analysis and insights in sports betting, earning a reputation for its quality content.
Continuing his innovative approach in 2022, Paruyr co-founded Azuro, a decentralized betting protocol. This venture showcases his dedication to integrating advanced technology in the evolving landscape of sports betting. Through these diverse experiences, Paruyr has continuously influenced and shaped the betting industry, driving new trends and setting high standards.
| Experience | Year |
| Engaged in private entrepreneurship | 2000-2013 |
| Founder and President at Bookmaker Rating, an online platform focused on sports and betting | 2013-2020 |
| Co-founder at Azuro, a decentralized betting protocol | 2022 |
"Innovation in sportsbetting comes from a deep understanding of both technology and the human element of sports."
- Paruyr Shahbazyan, Founder, RG
Principles and Ethics
Paruyr Shahbazyan's core beliefs lie in the power of informed decision-making and integrity in the betting industry. He understands that the foundation of successful betting is not just about odds and predictions, but also about the trust and reliability of the information provided. Paruyr advocates for a betting environment where transparency and knowledge are paramount, ensuring that bettors are well-equipped with accurate data and insights.
Strategic Vision
Paruyr's vision is to revolutionize the sports betting industry through the integration of technology. He sees the future of betting as a blend of traditional sports knowledge with innovative tech solutions, like decentralized protocols, to enhance user experience and fairness. His aim is to create platforms that are not only user-friendly but also uphold the highest standards of ethical betting, contributing to a more responsible and enjoyable betting culture.
Future Perspectives
Looking towards the future, Paruyr envisions a betting landscape that is more inclusive, technologically advanced, and globally connected. He anticipates a significant shift towards more decentralized and transparent betting systems, driven by blockchain technology. Paruyr is committed to being at the forefront of this change, continuously exploring new possibilities and innovations that can redefine what it means to engage in sports betting in a digital world. His focus is on building systems that prioritize user empowerment, fairness, and the global growth of the sports betting community.
Sol Fayerman-Hansen
Sol has over 20 years of experience in writing for diverse industries including sports, gambling, regulation, technology, and startups. As the Editor-in-Chief at RG, Sol brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role, focusing on delivering transparent, evidence-based content grounded in thorough research. Sol's mission is to empower readers to enjoy gambling responsibly and make informed decisions, enhancing their overall experience through insightful and engaging content. Under Sol's leadership, RG prioritizes the highest standards of integrity and reliability, ensuring that all information provided is accurate and trustworthy. Sol's dedication to transparency and research-based writing helps create a responsible gambling environment where readers can truly benefit from the content. This commitment to excellence has positioned RG as a leading source of information in the gambling industry.
Experience:
- Over 20 years in writing and editing across multiple industries
- Former head of regional innovation at BMO Financial Group
- Senior Writer, Online Casino Reports
Cristina Varela Galan
Cristina used to work as a Psychology Assistant in the Bizkaia Pathological and Risky Gamblers Association. She was also part of a research team in Deusto University, specializing in pathological gambling area. While working there, she managed to develop her own project
“Exploring the association between emotional regulation, alexithymia, stressful life events and gambling in adolescent and young adult women”.
Nick Ashbourne
Nick has been fascinated with sports since he was first taken to a Toronto Maple Leafs game back in 1998, and he's written about them professionally since 2014.
Nick has covered baseball and hockey for outlets like The Athletic, Sportsnet, and Yahoo Sports, and his sports betting expertise has grown since its legalization in Ontario in 2022.
Between 2022 and 2023 he worked for a betting startup called NorthStar Bets, and in 2024 he contributed to Oddspedia before joining the Responsible Gambler team.
Sergey Demidov
Sergey has been in sports journalism since 2007 as a reporter, editor, and manager. He has covered the Olympic Games, soccer World Cups, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the European championships, the Stanley Cup Finals, IOC events, and many others. Sergey interviewed the sport's greatest athletes, coaches, and executives. Since 2016, he has been an Independent Senior Editor of NHL.com/ru.
Anna Kravtcova
Ph.D. in organizational psychology, an internationally certified psychologist (EuroPsy 2022, Cognitive behavioural therapy of mindfulness 2020, International Society for Emotional Intelligence 2017, Russian Psychological society 2014, American Psychological Association(Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologist) 2011), speaker of many international conferences (USA, Brazil, Portugal, Czech Republic, Russia, etc.). TEDx speaker.
