Your NFL Betting Picks Represent a Huge Entertainment Market Share

Sports betting is a growth industry. The amount of money wagered on sports has increased over the years to new heights. Total bets set new records each year. NFL betting along with NCAAF and NBA betting is more for entertainment purposes than profits since most bettors lose over the season. Your NFL picks are part of the competitive process among bettors to claim their share of the entertainment market, win or lose.

National and world-wide growth is astounding considering estimates in the hundreds of billions of dollars (around 400 billion by 2019). The demand and money totals will surpass the major global industries (oil and gas) as a financial powerhouse.

NFL betting for fun and friendships

Betting on sports is huge but betting on NFL football is number one. American football is the undisputed champion in betting totals compared to the NBA, MLB and NHL. Betting football is a rite of passage for many guys who enjoy the challenge, friendships and fun times of the football season. Even the casual fans fill each stadium to capacity. Woman and kids get excited for their team.

However, betting on football is a calculated risk and divides the bettor from the fan. How to bet on football is a personal matter with most bettors. Their emotions get in the way of “impartial betting”. They are gambling for the expected highs of winning a few bucks with friendly bragging rights. A good release and natural high for good times. When they are losing it becomes a personal assault on their ego and wallet. It can get out of control when chasing a losing day trying to recoup their losses which leads to a bigger hole. How to keep it all in perspective is the key to an entertaining weekend.

Smart bettors understand the peaks and valleys of the NFL and NCAAF season and not to make it personal. They learn from their losses and keep an even keel from their winners. A cast-iron stomach and steady nerves is necessary for the larger bettor. But they do not bet the rent money or mortgage payment to prove their worth. A bankroll is their biggest asset.

Losses are commonplace but a smart bettor does not chase scared money. When you cannot afford to lose you are on a short leash. You are on full-tilt which puts more pressure on you to perform. Older bettors (50+) from the days of bookie credit called it a “Roy” from the late great Roy Orbison song “Running Scared”. Back in the day, bookie credit was how the books worked. You could easily dig a big hole and start running scared with your picks causing angina instead of being fun. How to dig out of the credit hole by the end of the week was a pressure situation especially if you could not pay your losses. I think they call it full tilt today.

New technology produces an expansion in sports betting

Times have changed with internet access, off-shore outlets, and the expansion of the Las Vegas sports books. Betting on the NFL has become a national treasure. The rise of so called “experts” is pervasive. They hype ridiculous winning percentages to the unsuspecting betting novice. The good ones have credibility from years of experience and a basic system of success.

If you have the time and inclination to follow your own path, you must learn the process and spend the hours to succeed. NFL and NCAAF betting can be a stimulating hobby, an expensive habit or a profit center for the committed bettor. Your involvement with teams, players, stats, odds, rumors, trends and other information provides mental stimulus that is good for your overall well-being — unless you let it get the best of you. People abuse alcohol, drugs, food and other ills of society. Gambling is no different. Sports, especially football, is very enjoyable with a fun group of people who like live highly competitive action instead of pulling on a slot machine with no personality. That is where sports betting is different from casino gambling. Your chances of winning at sports betting exceed the house odds on any casino game. A professional handicapping service is better equipped than newbies to produce profits in the long run. Their reputation depends on it.

Betting on NFL games is a weekend ritual that dominates the American landscape. With all the ugly news from around the world, the NFL product is a much needed escape. Not only do the fans watch their teams in action, the popularity of betting on NFL games is the main factor of engagement. From the initial kickoff to the halftime break, NFL betting is pervasive throughout the land. That is why viewers watch and fans pack the stadiums because they have a personal stake in the results — win or lose. To bet on NFL games is akin to an emotional journey on the game board of life. Those bouts of anxiety or that feeling of joy puts you in the best mood or makes you miserable. It can even be a friendly bet between two people with no money involved — maybe a dinner or drink.

The famous gambler Nick Dandolos ( Nick the Greek) once said , ” The next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing”. People want the stimulation of winning or losing that betting on NFL games provide. That is what separates the casual bettor from the professional`s line of business. It is either a form of entertainment with discretionary income or a business entity without the fanfare. If it does not disrupt your regular life with love ones, betting on NFL games is not the ominous stigma associated with betting that many politicians and others perpetrate.

Betting the NFL or NCAAF is your investment choice

How to bet on NFL games is another story. The handicapping challenge is a unique proposition of selecting what is relevant with a blend of experience and knowledge. This is the other side of NFL betting that casual bettors just skip through for the quick fix or impulsive pick. Betting on NFL games is your choice. A lucky streak can happen to anybody at random but a disciplined bettor keeps a balanced strategy in place.

However, real serious betting on NFL games involves a calculated risk with potential reward. When around 90 percent of bettors are losing over the long run, the successful bettors in the 10 percent bracket are reaping rewards from the leftover entertainment dollar. If you lose a few bucks but had a great time, so be it. The expense of treating yourself and enjoying the personal pleasure of friends in a festive atmosphere is worth it.

The 10 percent compulsive bettors whose addictive personality destroys their life is a real problem to acknowledge. There is an ugly side to betting on NFL games or any compulsive gambling when it ruins a family relationship or friendships. Human nature can be fragile when temptation overcomes will power. Like the wise old monk said: “I can resist anything but temptation”. The NFL season is short and leads to a great ending with the playoffs and  Superbowl Sunday, a fantastic day for sports fans everywhere. Once the season is over, a lot of NFL bettors will get back to their normal routine and wait till next season.

The popularity of NFL betting and sports betting will result in a legal structured law someday to create millions of dollars in tax revenue. I think most bettors will gladly pay a small tax on any bets that are part of the legal agreements. Las Vegas still has a monopoly on legal sports betting until other states pass their own legislation They have strong regulation administered by reputable outlets such as casino sports books and their in-state intranet mobile services. The state of Nevada reaps the benefits for its citizens and helps with any budgets gaps. Why not recycle fees and taxes to education and infrastructure. They have been doing it for a long time. The tax money is too much to ignore. Hopefully soon, the state and federal politicians will wake up and propose and pass legislation for the tax revenue needed by the state coffers. But do not hold your breath — it could be years away. The states have been given a green light by the Supreme Court ruling but only a few were ready to reap the benefits.

Not all the states approve of any type of gambling and will deny any legislation for sports betting. The estimates are about 30 states will eventually allow sports betting in the next 5 years. Nevada is the long time model standard for the sports betting industry that has survived and grown to a huge entertainment market today. The future global market trend is worth the wait. Technology and opportunity are the face of the future of the sports betting industry.

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