Bowling can be considered niche as compared to “mainstream” sports like football or cricket due to some reasons. As a type of sport and a kind of entertainment, bowling has a lower rate of participation because quite often bowling alleys require necessary equipment, a special ball, and other facilities, along with a special place for doing this.
Moreover, professional bowling does not receive as much media coverage as other important sports do, and consequently, the people involved in betting usually pay less attention to this sport. If some people bet on professional bowling, these are just a few fans, and there are probably no sportsbooks (except 711 online casino) willing to use such a narrow market.
Still, some bowling alleys may promote betting among their regular customers, but this is not large-scale gambling at all.
Understanding Bowling: How the Game Works?
Bowling is a fun and social game that combines physical skill with a bit of luck. Here’s a breakdown of how the game works:
Bowling is played on a long lane of wooden or synthetic surfacing. The goal of the game is to knock over all ten standing pins located at the far end by throwing a heavy bowling ball. In each “frame” or round of bowling, each player gets to throw the ball twice to knock over as many pins as possible.
A perfect score is 300, achieved by knocking down all ten pins in each of your two throws in every frame (12 strikes).
Scoring can get a bit more difficult with pins remaining after your throws. Spares (knocking down all ten pins with two throws) and strikes (knocking down all ten pins with your first throw) award bonus points based on the pins knocked down in your subsequent throws. The goal is to accumulate the highest total score over ten frames.
History of Bowling
Bowling has a long history; however, the earliest signs can be traced to ancient Egypt. Archaeologists found the objects in a child’s tomb from about 3,200 BC. It was a crude game, played with nine pieces of stone laid on their side and a stone ball. Subsequently, the stone balls were replaced by wooden ones.
The game was rudimentarily similar, with a ball being rolled toward nine objects that it should knock over.
Further, similar types of "bowling" were discovered during excavations in Polynesia. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that the game was widely popular and evolved globally in its primitive form.
A modern version of the game became popular in Europe during the Middle Ages. There were several local variations in the details of the game. It was Germany that played a crucial role in the development of bowling. The local game was often associated with religious ceremonies.
Despite the timing of the appearance of the game, nine pins were suggested by Martin Luther, so the number of pins was already standardized. Then the game took root in Europe and Scandinavia. Finally, it reached America, where it became a more recreational pastime.
The Dutch colonists were the first to practice bowling in America, and their game included nine pins at the end of the wooden lane. The sport was banned for a certain period due to gambling. Then, with the addition of a tenth pin in the 19th century, the modern game of ten-pin bowling was introduced, becoming a popular and recreational activity for people of all ages.
Bowling Betting Status
Bowling is not a sport that people often bet on, as there are few professional leagues and events that attract widespread betting interest. That said, bowling betting has a history, primarily in social contexts.
In the past, friends bowling together would generally make informal bets, such as who could win or reach the highest score. However, some bowling alleys still hold informal leagues, tournaments with entry fees, or bar-side bets, where casual gambling takes place. Therefore, casual gambling might still be in place today, which is legal on a small scale.
Betting Markets in Bowling
Knowing the different types of bets in bowling will be helpful to both people who are not familiar with the game and experienced sports bettors. Understanding such common types of markets will allow them to make sound decisions on the betting websites and therefore be more successful in betting on bowling. The main types are provided below:
Head-to-Head
This is a simple bet between two bowlers on who will score higher in a single game or a series of games.
Point Spread
Like other types of sports bets, in bowling, a point spread can be set up to make the competition more exciting. In this case, the more experienced bowler agrees to give up some number of pins, for example, 10, to the weaker bowler. The winner of the bet is determined not based on the actual bowling score but by taking this handicap into account.
Over/Under or Totals
In bowling, an “over/under” bet is the type of bet placed on the total combined score earned by two bowlers (or teams) over (higher) or under (lower) a predetermined total of pins. This type of bet uses the combined score of two bowlers or two teams, and it does not require betting on the winning bowler by “placing money on them before the game.”
Frame-by-Frame
Frame-by-frame allows you to bet on who will score higher in each frame throughout the match.
Prop Bets
Just like prop bets that can be placed on any other sport, bowling also allows you to use them. The types of such bets can be extremely varied and include guessing which bowler ends the game with the most gutter balls thrown, whether there will be a turkey or not, and whether a specific bowler will achieve an exact pin count.
