Bruce Dias 
While TV and the internet have largely taken over the information spectrum in the last 30 years, radio still plays a big role in the world of sports news and particularly sports betting. Since the invention of the radio in 1901, it was largely the main form of communication in the world for the former half of the 20th century.
People used to sit glued to their radios, listening to live updates on their favorite sporting events or enjoying their favorite characters on various radio plays that used to span a myriad of genres or even the evening news.
In a century that is dominated by portable devices and video content, the radio has still managed to carve out its influence on millions of people every year. In the 90s, with the advent of the internet, rather than shying away from the spotlight, radio adapted and went digital.
Since then, we’ve seen a massive surge in the number of channels and stations available to everyday listeners, covering various topics and issues. Sports happens to be one of the most popular ones around. On average, 20 million people a year listen to sports radio in America alone, which proves that this age-old form of communication is still highly popular today.
The rise of podcasts has also helped to strengthen the popularity of radio in the digital age, with lots of shows out there being as popular or even more popular than their visual counterparts. In many ways, there’s something quite stimulating about using your mind to listen to a subject, as you tend to absorb more information this way – more details. But how does sports radio affect sports betting?
Despite the real-time, high-detailed action that watching a live game can offer, statistics have proven that radio listeners tend to bet more on average. In a report conducted by Cumulus Media, the research pointed to some significant results, stating that on average, ‘42% of radio listeners have placed bets on sporting events’. This is significantly higher than the average of TV viewers interviewed in the study, which placed their betting averages at roughly 28%.
While there is still quite a lot of speculation about why this is, many believe that radio listeners tend to focus more on the game than TV viewers. In another study conducted by John Hopkins University, scientists realized that people who watched even an hour and a half of TV on a daily basis throughout mid-to-late adulthood lost roughly 0.5% of their overall brain capacity.
This means that you largely switch off when watching TV and need to pay more attention. The fact that you have no visual stimulus while listening to the radio means that you’re more likely to pay attention to the minute, real-time details of the game and can ultimately form a better idea of how things will progress. This gives you the edge when trying to enjoy sports on a more strategic level, especially when gambling.
While this isn’t particularly useful for ‘future betting’, or placing bets on the outcome of a game before it has started, it is particularly useful for live sports news and making split-second decisions on the outcome of the game while it’s unfolding.
Live betting is something that requires the focus of a zen-master to do successfully. While it’s one thing to place a few casual bets with friends while sharing beers and watching the game together, it’s another thing altogether to take some time out and focus on the game by blocking out your surroundings, enjoying nothing but your mind’s image of the game unfolding in your head as it plays out.
More states are legalizing sports betting, and it’s, unsurprisingly, becoming quite popular. So, it pays (often literally) to work out how to give yourself the best odds at making winning decisions while betting on your favorite sporting event. Listening to them via the radio might give you the advantage you’re looking for.
When combining the radio with a good betting app, you can maximize your chances of winning when betting on sports. Many of these apps are available locally or offshore if you’re in a state that doesn’t yet have local, legal sports betting options. For example, you can download sports betting apps in Texas, so long as an out-of-state company runs it. There are also lots of sports radio stations in Texas for you to choose from, like ESPN Dallas, ESPN Houston, The Ticket, and TUDN Radio, which will provide live commentary on all the big games.
Alternatively, states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, and Michigan are a lot more lax regarding online gambling and sports betting. ESPN Sports radio is generally always available in these states as well, as they broadcast nationwide, so you’ll never miss a game. you could try WGMD in Delaware or WEEI in Massachusetts – there are always options.
Also, it’s important to add that you can enjoy any sport on the radio, as shows cover various topics. Sports like golf, football, soccer, MMA, boxing, tennis, horse racing, dog racing, basketball, and even baseball are all commonly enjoyed by sports betting fans. If you’re interested in finding other sports overseas, you can always bet on sports like rugby, cricket, and even cycling, many of which are also discussed on radio shows and podcasts.
Several benefits come from listening to the radio for sports fans. They can help build your understanding of the game in real-time as well as in the future.
Firstly, radio hosts commonly add varied details that play out as the game unfolds. Again, this is large because they don’t have the luxury of having viewers that can watch the game unfold in real-time. So, to compensate, they generally tend to add a lot more detail that helps paint a vivid picture of what’s happening so that viewers have a clearer understanding of what’s happening on the field.
On top of that, they generally tend to add a lot of details about the players’ recent historical track records that can also provide some keen insights to help you map out the odds of the game as it unfolds. For instance, knowing that a player recently suffered from an injury or had a penalty in a previous game can give you an idea of how they might perform in this game and whether it will affect your bet somehow.
While you do get access to information like this in a live TV game, you’re often so busy focussing on the visual aspects of the game that you don’t always pay attention to what the commentators are saying. This means that you’re often missing out on valuable information that you can use to make crucial and critical decisions about the game while watching it.
Radio is still going strong and will likely be a prominent feature in the future. So, if you’re interested in improving your sports betting game, try sports radio channels and listen to your favorite games. It’ll definitely help you improve your betting game!
