Technology has changed sports at every level, from youth and amateur teams to professional ranks. Tech’s influence is obvious at the highest level of pro sport, including the English Premier League, NFL, and NBA. You’ll see the Video Assistant Referee make potentially game-changing decisions in soccer or Hawkeye Technology alter the points in a tennis game. The famous John McEnroe “you cannot be serious” rant wouldn’t have happened in the era of technology in sports.
VAR and Hawkeye technology limit the risk of human error at the highest level in sport, helping remove some of the burden from referees and match officials. But those are the most famous aspects of tech in sports, and other features do a great job and, as a result, are talked about much less by fans and the media. Stats help coaches pick their best team, scouts find the next hot talent, and players ensure optimal performance in every training session and competitive game.
Tech has also changed how fans interact with their favorite sports and teams. You can study the stats of an upcoming fixture, make predictions, and add picks to your betting odds calculator. Fancy watching your team in action? Watch on a live-streaming app. Are you shopping for official club merchandise or looking for the latest interview from the coach? Check your team’s app on your Android or iOS smartphone.
Table of Contents
Tech in Sports Betting
There’s much more to tech in sports than the features that make headlines. Advancements in technology help consumers as much as players and coaches. One of the best examples of how a simple smartphone can ramp up your enjoyment of the next big game, race, or fight live on TV is the online sportsbook gambling industry. Thanks to live betting, you can now wager on the result of a fixture before the start or at any time during the contest.
An amazing live-streaming feature is available at the leading apps, allowing you to watch the game on your smartphone from anywhere in the world. Check the upcoming sports schedule, choose a game, and click the link to view the live stream. You’ll enjoy HD-quality coverage with expert commentary, exciting camera angles, updated stats, live scores, and in-play betting.
With online gambling now legal in a growing number of states across the US, we’re witnessing an explosion in pre-match and live bet slips on the leading sports. Choose the winner of tonight’s game from the NFL or back an outsider to place in the pick of the afternoon’s horse racing. Fancy a knockout in the weekend’s UFC? That’s just a click away. You have everything at your fingertips when using a sportsbook app with live-streaming capabilities.
Improve Your Knowledge
Now we know you can watch sports and gamble on the result using a modern smartphone, let’s turn our attention to how technology can help you find a winner. Placing bets and adding extra excitement to a fixture is great fun, but it can’t compare to calling the result, placing a bet, and landing a winner.
Use your sports knowledge to beat the bookies. But let’s look at how the stats can improve your sports knowledge and ramp up your success rate when making predictions. Thankfully, you can access the most relevant and best stats free of charge and get what you need in seconds on your smartphone. The stats you need are online at the leading sports websites and apps. They’re free and accessible.
You need to know where to find them, and in the next section, we’ll explain how to access the latest sports figures that will improve predictions. There’s also expert advice on locating the most relevant information for pre-game predictions, saving you valuable time when researching.
Head-to-Head
When previewing a sportsbook fixture, like an NFL game, it’s a good idea to start with the head-to-head stats, and these are easy to find with a simple internet search. You want information on the most recent results involving two teams and will look for patterns and trends. Your findings will help move you onto the right path and make a strong prediction.
When browsing the head-to-head stats, look for a pattern of wins. Does one team often beat a rival in a derby? Does the team playing at home often come away with the victory, or does a side enjoy playing at a certain venue? Perhaps a player usually scores goals against a particular opponent in the Premier League. The more digging you do, the more likely you’ll find a strong pick.
Recent Form
If you approach a championship boxing bout or MMA contest, the recent form of both fighters can help you predict the winner. You’re looking for a fighter on a winning streak against an opponent with sketchy or unreliable recent results. However, the current form often nudges researchers towards the specials.
Let’s use boxer and former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua as our example. AJ has a fearsome 88% knockout average from 29 professional bouts, but three of his last four bouts have traveled the 12-round distance. If AJ by KO/TKO is the favorite in his next bout, you know there’s value in the over rounds or the fight to go the distance.
Your prediction depends on the opponent and their recent form. Check their form to see if they will come to fight, going on the attack and seeking a shock KO win in the early rounds, or if they’re more patient and like to wait for a mistake or opportunity.
Officials
One area sports fans often overlook when making game predictions is the officials. We do deep research into the home and away teams but neglect the referee, who can be instrumental in the result.
Check the referee’s form ahead of predicting a soccer game. How many yellow and red cards have they shown on average this season? Are they card-happy or prefer to lurk in the shadows and let the players shine? Knowing this information could help you find a winner, predict the number of bookings or even a sending-off in the game.
