Chicago has a rich heritage of professional sports and our city’s teams have won numerous accolades in many leagues. We have squads in the MLS, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NFL and NHL, providing amazing and memorable performances.
Our teams have also had top-flight successes, including eight NFL Championships with the Bears, six NBA titles with the legendary Bulls, six Stanley Cup titles with the Blackhawks and three World Series Titles with the Cubs. This means that you can often have fun and potentially make some money by betting on our teams!
But how can you do this? For many, the world of sportsbooks is an unknown. If this is something you are interested in, we have created a short guide below on how to bet on professional Chicago sports teams.
Only use licensed and regulated sportsbooks
Firstly, and most importantly, only ever use a sportsbook that is licensed. You can usually find licensing information at the bottom of their website. American sportsbooks are regulated by State Gaming Boards, and international platforms are usually licensed by a regulating body such as the UK Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority.
Licensed sportsbooks have to comply with rules and regulations, and also operate according to fair business practices. This will ensure you don’t get caught out or duped.
Use welcome offers given to new customers
Usually, new customers can make their money go further by using welcome offers and bonuses exclusively available when you create an account with a sportsbook.
The welcome offer is the most common type. This usually takes the form of a matched deposit bonus. For example, you could get a 100% matched deposit bonus – if you deposit $50, you will get $50 in bonus funds. Some sportsbooks also offer risk-free bets or free cash bets as an incentive to join their platform.
You can look at these offers and choose a sportsbook that has a promotion you like. However, always read the terms and conditions! This is because there are usually stipulations such as wagering requirements or minimum odds requirements for the free bets. You could therefore use your NFL predictions, game knowledge and knowledge of Chicago teams in conjunction with a welcome offer to potentially make some decent money!
Look at the sports and bets offered
Different sports gambling websites offer different sports and games to bet on. Not every site will have the exact same coverage. For example, one sportsbook may specialize in NFL and thus have more Chicago Bears bets available. Alternatively, another sportsbook could cover MLB more and thus allow you to bet more on the Cubs.
Check out the sports offering for the different sportsbooks you are considering and select one that covers the games and Chicago teams you are most interested in.
Watch matches live and use in-play betting if available
Many sportsbooks provide in-play betting. These are bets based on unfolding matches, so the odds fluctuate depending on how the momentum is swinging. For example, you could watch a Chicago Bears match and place in-play bets on the number of touchdowns or score predictions for each quarter. Alternatively, you could watch a Bulls match and place a bet on DeRozan being the top scorer, for example.
The possibilities are endless, and live bets often yield better results as you have insight as to how the match is progressing and the likely outcome. Some sportsbooks also provide a ticker tape of game coverage, or even a live video feed of the matches.
Have fun and bet within your means!
Lastly, but most importantly, we implore people to only bet within their means and to know their limits. As we all know, gambling can be a slippery path. Only ever bet money that you can afford to lose and never put any of your financial assets as risk.
Also, take regular breaks and never bet on sports for prolonged periods. Additionally, if you do hit a losing streak, take a step back, reassess your situation and rethink your strategies. Simply ploughing more money in relentlessly is not always a good idea.
We hope you have found this guide fun! What better way to show your love for Chicago and put your money where your mouth is with some sports bets. Our teams remain at the forefront of American professional sports and have excellent pedigree and history. Also, with teams like the Chicago Bulls seeing a resurgence and new potential, you could win some cash too!
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