Top Volleyball Betting Sites
Volleyball as a sport originated in the US and has been played for more than 100 years ever since. Initially, it was known as Mintonette and was mostly played in schools featuring less intense sessions. It was an alternative sport for people that disliked or were unable to play basketball which was popular at the time. Today, it boasts over 200 million players globally and now has two main variants namely the beach and indoor volleyball.
In terms of popularity, volleyball is ranked only second after basketball in the US. Other countries that also heavily feature this sport include Brazil where it’s considered second most popular after football. A lot of it is played during the summer when most people are touring the beaches for sunshine and relaxation.
On betting platforms, the two volleyball variations recognized are beach and indoor competitions. The main difference between the two lies in the number of players involved. Beach volleyball features two players per team while indoor competitions field six players aside. To get the most out of volleyball bets, it’s recommended that you use platforms covering competitions for both variants.
Betopin has done all the groundwork for you by compiling the list of top gambling platforms where you can join and begin wagering on volleyball tournaments right away. Check it out below:
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Key Fixtures & Events in Volleyball Betting
Since there exist two variations of volleyball competitions as we’ve seen earlier, we’ll subdivide this section into two:
Indoor Volleyball Fixtures
FIVB World Championships
This event is organized by the International Federation of Volleyball and is a prestigious fixture worth following up. It takes place every four years with 24 nations from all over the world taking part in the tournament. Before the event, qualification competitions are held for two years to sort out the 24 nations that will participate in the championship event.
Olympics
Usually held during the summer seasons, the Olympics attract the most attention from the fans, media, and bookmakers alike. Volleyball joined the Olympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo. The tournaments are held in one hosting country with 12 teams picked from all over the world taking part in the competition. The three teams that top here proceed to contest for FIVB World Cup.
FIVB World Cup
Started in 1977, this event takes place every four years. Teams that make it to the competitions must top in the Olympic Games. Since its launch, FIVB World Cup tournaments have been held in Japan.
FIVB World League
This is arguably the biggest volleyball contest in the world and is organized by FIVB. It takes place once every year with 16 teams participating. FIVB World League features match categorized into pools, semi-finals, and finals. Traditionally, the competition has seen men as the main players but recently a women’s version was adopted going by name of FIVB Grand Prix.
Beach Volleyball Fixtures
Summer Olympics
Officially held since 1996, the summer Olympics has been dominated by players from Brazil and the US. It features both men and women in the tournaments and has the highest honour for beach volleyball on an international platform. It has 24 teams participating with qualification dependent on performance on FIVB events 18 months prior to the Olympic Games. Countries participating can only have a maximum of two teams playing in the fixture. One spot is reserved for the hosting country which is selected at random. Also, every continent is represented in the Summer Olympics event.
European Beach Volleyball Championships
Also known as Nestea European Championship Final, this event is a unisex competition held annually by CEV. Initially, it started as a men’s tournament; however, in 1993 women joined the competition and from 1995 it officially became a unisex event.
Swatch FIVB World Championships
First held in Los Angeles in 1997, this event occurs after every two years. It features 48 teams that go through the main two stages namely Group Stage and Knockout Stage. Participants of the competitive battle for the prize money which stands at US$500,000. Like most other volleyball tournaments, both men and women participate.
How volleyball betting works
For anyone trying to understand volleyball betting, the first thing to do is to lean the important competitions/fixtures. We’ve already covered major events in the previous section. Now here are quick facts to have in mind to be a successful bettor:
The quality of an individual is not as important as in other sports involving two or more players. Volleyball depends on the coordination of the team as a whole which means tournaments can still go on smoothly with one player down/injured.
The number of games a team has played has a direct impact on their performance in competitions. Unlike other games, matches have short relaxation periods which increases fatigue in intense competitions. Moreover, there are no time limitations on how long a single round lasts. This means one set can go for 30 minutes or more while another for a 10 depending on defense, the number of fatigued players, etc.
The venue is a game-changer. The height of the net, layout of the field, distance from one player to another can highly affect results. As such, you need to pay attention to these details constantly comparing your favourite team’s performance on such a course. This is especially important in beach volleyball.
This sport is less popular on mainstream betting platforms. As such, there’s generally a shortage of viable information on factors that affect professional volleyball. With this, volleyball bettors can easily beat bookmakers in predicting performance if they’re keen enough on small details.
Betting Platforms
Volleyball betting may be less popular, but the betting platform you settle for matters a lot when it comes to how much you can win wagering on this sport. Learn about the different platforms to consider in this section.
Betting Exchanges
A betting exchange is a platform where players as opposed to betting sites pose as bookmakers. Put in perspective, you can set odds yourself and another punter with an opposing opinion will play against you aiming to beat you on that particular event. The site owners then benefit by charging a commission from whoever wins. These platforms are excellent for volleyball betting since punters tend to have a better understanding of the sport and can offer better odds than bookies. We’ve covered the betting exchange concept here so be sure to check it out.
Sportsbooks
These are the more common platforms that create odds for different outcomes in a sporting event then pay bettors that make successful predictions. The odds are based on beliefs, analysis, and estimations that bookies make in regard to a given competition. You can learn more about sportsbooks here including the best platforms to place your bets.
Spread Betting
This type of betting involves studying the behavior of bet markets for various sports to determine the prices of the odds. Platforms involved in this strategy rely mostly on speculation and this makes volleyball a perfect fit as it’s generally predictable. Learn more about spread betting here.
Sports Trading
Betting platforms offering sports trading pair wagers and place them against each other with the purpose of making a profit. Usually, you’ll find this concept in betting exchanges which allow players to pose as bookmakers. Check out this sports trading page to understand these platforms better.
Matched Betting
Betting platforms specializing in matched betting give players the chance to win regardless of the direction a match takes. Put simply, you can profit from your match bet whether your team wins or loses depending on your strategy. Find out more on this subject in our detailed matched betting guide.
Most Popular Volleyball Betting Markets
Like in many other sports, volleyball betting is offered in two ways namely pre-match and live betting. Below are the markets for each category:
Pre-match Betting
These are markets that offer odds for predictions before the competitions officially commence. They include:
Outright winner
This market simply requires the punter to predict which team will win the tournament in the final phase. It requires a deep understanding of the tournament from the initial stage to the last bit to make a correct prediction. To increase your chances of success here, you’ll need to dig into the history of participating teams, any injuries involved, fan base during final competitions, weather conditions at the time of the contest, etc.
Match-Winner
Here, punters make predictions on the team that will win a single match. A team can only play another at a time which therefore means this market operates only on a short-term basis. Most platforms allow punters to bet on more than one team when there are several matches being played simultaneously.
Handicap Betting
In this market, one team is considered to be an underdog, weak, or a heavy favourite than the opponent. To level the winning chances for both teams, most bookmakers give the underdog a few extra points. For example, if Team A and B are playing and B is weak, it could give it a handicap of +2.5 and the opponent -2.5. As such, if you back the stronger team, they’ll have to win straight sets for your wager to be successful. If you back the weak opponents, just winning a single set is enough for you to claim a win.
Points Total
This is an over/under betting where the bookie will require you to predict the total points each team will have at the end of a match. The betting platform can give a spread or a standard mark from where you’ll predict whether the points are above or below the standard.
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
This is the player that scores the highest number of points in a match or makes the most ball blocks. This market can be a little tricky to master especially if the information on the players that will be on the field is unavailable.
Live Volleyball Betting
This type of betting offers markets that allow players to make predictions while a match is ongoing. Here are the top ones:
Set Bets
A volleyball game is split into several sets which go back to back until the final whistle is blown. A set bet market allows you to predict the team that wins an upcoming set. You’ll need to closely follow up previous sets and observe the behavior of key players keenly to make a correct forecast here.
First Point Betting
Here, the bookmaker will require you to predict the team that earns the first point in a forthcoming set. To be successful, pay attention to the game server and the defense level of each team. The first few minutes are usually eye-opening as most mistakes leading to point award of opponents happens then.
Odd-Even Points
This market allows punters to predict whether the points in a forthcoming set will be an odd or even number. This can be a very challenging prediction since precision and paying attention to a team’s performance in the minute is key.
Technical Timeout Betting
In this market, you simply forecast which team will get the first technical time out in an upcoming set.
Conclusion
Volleyball competitions can be very intense at the professional level and this makes betting on outcomes an exciting experience for most punters. If you enjoy watching this sport and can track most happenings within a game, perhaps it’s time you tried your hand in volleyball betting.
Luckily for you, Betopin has done all the hard work for you by reviewing all the best betting platforms available for this sport to ensure you’re playing on safe and fair sites. We also occasionally publish detailed guides showing you how to beat these betting sites at their game.
Sign up at one of the platforms in the list above and begin winning today!
