In-run betting is a way to bet, primarily on sports but not necessarily limited to that field, while an event is in progress. In traditional betting, all bets must be placed before the event begins, thus giving everyone ample time to study the odds. However, in-run betting represents a new generation of betting options designed to spice up live events.
While the standard bets, such as who may win a game, may be part of in-run betting, this type of betting often offers something else. For example, if watching a baseball game, an in-run bet could be betting on the next player to hit a home run. Of course, the bet could be something much more routine, such as the next player to strike out or hit a single.
In-run betting can also be very popular in individual sports such as tennis. For example, it may be possible to bet on of different issues on a match in progress. If a player is having a hard time with his or her service, it may be fun and challenging to try to predict how many double faults the player will serve and try to place a bet on that.
The better has a number of advantages in in-run betting. It allows the gambler to assess how each team, or each individual, is doing and modify his or her bets based on that performance. For those who are very adept at analyzing sports, in-run betting can be a much more successful venture than traditional sports betting.
The challenge for sports books is to determine odds when offering in-run betting. Indeed, the sports book stands to lose a substantial amount of money if the proper odds are not placed on the game. For example, odds for betting on the next baseball player to hit a single may be quite low. However, betting on the next player to hit a home run, a much rarer feat, may be higher.
The other side, of course, is that in-line betting can be a substantial risk to the sports book. Generally, the sports book has an advantage of turning to others in the industry when setting odds. However, in-run betting offers no such luxury. There is no time to consult with others and come up with appropriate odds and determine which bets to offer.
This is why many sports books will not offer in-run betting. Those that do offer this form of betting often find it takes years to perfect the process and find an equilibrium between happy gamblers and profitability for the sports book. Generally, in-line betting is more common in European countries. It has yet to gain widespread use in the United States.
