Winter Sports Betting: Cool Markets to Explore

In our experience, winter sports generate little betting interest. That is so because they primarily cater to those living in colder climates that are familiar with them. Hence, they have niche fanbases and largely have a seasonal nature. From what everyone can notice, interest in them spikes only during major events like the Winter Olympics or the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.

Without argument, this group’s most watched competition type is ice hockey due to its establishment in North America and Europe. Plus, some would say, on account of its high-octane gameplay at times.  Recreational skiing and snowboarding are popular among adventure enthusiasts but lack a broad international fanbase on the pro and competition levels. They also face the same accessibility barrier as most winter sports, as they require specific weather conditions and infrastructure. Hence, they are only available to distinct groups of people.

All that said, winter sports offer a specific betting experience that some gamblers enjoy. Their unique characteristics create diverse betting markets. This stems from some of them being speed-focused events and other competitions that bring an artistic flare to the table. This gives wagering on some of them a sense of novelty/variety. Here, we tell you about some interesting markets from this gambling genre that you may want to check out. Note that many of these may not be widely available, but you still may be able to find many of them at a few of our top-reviewed crypto bookmakers.  

Alpine Skiing

The first prop for this sport’s offering we will tell you about is the fastest intermediate time or which competitor will be leading at specific checkpoints. This market can be available at all racing events where the course is divided into designated checkpoints. For example, there might be ones at a quarter or half of the course, letting bettors pick who will go through these first. So, there is nothing complex here, as this is a relatively simple market that may appeal to those who like to analyze performance trends and course layouts that favor specific skills and athlete strategies.

In skiing, crashes happen. That is inevitable, and this opens up markets for betting where gamblers can try to guess if a specific athlete or a certain number of participants will fail to finish a race due to a mishap. This is prevalent in high-speed races where the smallest mistakes can lead to accidents.

When one is racing at high speed, gate misses are also likely, and for alpine skiing, this is a prop often presented, as during slalom races, athletes must pass through a series of gates. For those unfamiliar with skiing sports, these are pairs of poles that skiers must navigate around. Missing these can result in disqualification or time penalties, so they mustn’t get missed if one hopes for high placement.

Biathlon

Biathlon is a weird sport, as it combines two very different sports in one, skiing and shooting. Shooting accuracy is critical because missed targets result in penalty loops or time fees. That opens up a range of gambling options, including over/under on total misses, which athlete has the highest accuracy rate, incurred penalty loops for missed targets, etc. Then, you can also bet on the fastest shooting time instead of trying to gauge who will be most accurate. This market targets, pun intended, who will complete their shooting segment the fastest, regardless of the hit rate. It is ideal for wagering on aggressive athletes, who take chances and go for broke.

Another nifty biathlon option is double faults betting, or predicting whether an athlete will miss two consecutive targets during a shooting portion. You can try to predict lapses in concentration, betting on competitors who have a history of choking under pressure, ones likely to commit double faults. But, if you have no experience with this sport, please note that harsh weather or poorly adjusted rifles can also contribute to back-to-back misses. The athlete may not be 100% at fault.

Curling Markets

Curling is a sport that everyone likes to watch, a bit of when the Winter Olympics are on. It just seems fun to play and is something that most viewers think they can do. Of course, not to the degree of efficacy as the athletes who are competing in it at a high level.

In curling, the hammer refers to the advantage of throwing the last stone at an end. Gamblers can wager on how often the team with the hammer successfully scores in the end.  Stone placement markets also exist, allowing you to try and accurately predict the placement of specific stones for prizes, guessing things like where the first or last stone will land within the house.

A perfect end in curling occurs when a team scores the maximum possible points in a single end. That happens when they place all its stones in the house, which is a super rare feat that bettors can wager on transpiring during a match. They also can attempt to predict the number of failed attempts to knock an opponent’s stone out of play or missed takeouts, which are dependent on players’ level of skill in taking and executing such high-pressure shots.

Figure Skating Markets

Figure skating is a blend of athletic skill, grace, and choreography. Sadly, the sport’s most famous moments are falls, which have gone viral, some of which are quite disturbing to watch. Larger ones end a routine, while smaller ones impact a skater’s score. The potential for any to happen adds suspense to the viewing experience, and they are a unique gambling opportunity, letting bettors analyze routines, assess their difficulty levels, and an athlete’s track record under pressure.

Quadruple jumps, better known as quads, are the most challenging jumps in this sport, and many bookmakers allow a quad or quad attempt markets for a competition by either a skater or by all participating in an event.

Other less publicized proposition wagers for figure skating that may be on the table are score deduction markets and theme predictions. We have heard of the latter but have not seen it. Allegedly, some sportsbooks let gamblers try to predict the theme of the music used in routines, meaning classical, pop, cinematic, etc. That sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Ice Hockey

The props for ice hockey have been largely covered elsewhere, but some we are unsure that we have mentioned include Zamboni delays if the ice resurfacing vehicle will cause delays between periods, whether there will be fighting penalties, and whether someone or multiple players brake their sticks during a game.

Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton

Sled speed markets focus on predicting which sled will achieve the highest speed during a run. Going at fast velocities can cause wall hits, so this is also a betting possibility. How many times will a distinct sled hit the wall in a run? Then come the time margin markets, such as wagering on the time difference between first and second place. We can’t think of any other unique ones.

Ski Jumping

We love ski jumping. We love the spectacle of watching a human soar through the air, finding the sight a visual marvel – a feast for the eyes. In some competitions, style points, based on technique and form, get added to the total length covered. These are awarded on a scale from zero to twenty from five judges and are a betting option at some bookies.

Another common and fun market is wind assistance, focusing on predicting the direction and speed of the win and how it influences the total distance jumped. Crash landings happen loads in jumping, and they are a niche market in themselves, as is the longest jump with fault, which can incur a disqualification or point deduction due to some sort of violation.

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