Professional volleyball has been on the rise as a professional sport in recent years. A huge reason for this has been its exposure on national television, especially through the Olympics in which it has been consistently popular among viewers.
Another is that it is easy to take part in with simple requirements. All you need is a ball, a net and enough players to form two teams on opposing sides. An estimated 800 million people now play the sport.
You can also play indoors or outdoors with it being an extremely popular beach game. In fact, there are even entire leagues dedicated to beach volleyball.
With games not being able to finish as a draw within the rules it is also extremely exciting to watch.
The rules are very straightforward too. The main aim is to force the opponents into losing possession of the ball by making it touch the ground on their side or forcing a mistake.
Games are played across sets, with each set defined by a number of points. In indoor volleyball, the key team to 25 points (with a two-point margin) wins the set with beach volleyball being 21 points.
You can win a point in volleyball in many technical ways.
Such popularity has seen professional volleyball leagues get more attention with crowds growing. The National Volleyball Association has become the United States’ premier league with the best talent the nation has to offer taking part.
It comprises of 12 teams split into two conferences (American Conference and National Conference). Founded in 2017 with its inaugural season the following year, the league has gone through numerous expansions, further increasing its popularity.
It is also extremely popular in Europe and South America with Italy, Russia and Brazil all boasting major volleyball leagues.
Sportsbooks have taken note and many Americans now bet on volleyball. BetMGM NY offers volleyball odds and promos.
There are a lot of different bets that can be made on volleyball though many of them are not too different from those you would make on the NFL or NBA for example. Lets take a look at some of the most popular markets.
Moneyline
This is the most straightforward bet to make and understand in all sports betting. You are simply wagering on a team to win the game.
Find the league and game you want to bet on via the sportsbook you are using and choose between the home or away team. Choose your stake and you are away.
The only downside with moneyline bets is that odds on favorites are usually low. This means that lower stakes are less likely to see a big return.
Spread
Just like with the NFL and NBA, you can make spread bets in volleyball. The spread is a number determined by the sportsbook in which the favorite has a virtual handicap while the underdogs have an advantage.
All spreads are numbered with a plus or minus with the underdogs receiving the plus. For example, the spread could be +/- 1.5.
In this situation, the favorite would need to win by two or more clear sets while the favorite must either win the game or lose by no more than one set.
Total
This bet is just as it sounds. You are wagering on the total number of points to be scored in the game.
This number is also decided by the sportsbook with bettors wagering on the total to be over or under said number. For example, if the total was set at 134.5 you would be wagering on either 135+ or under 134 points would be scored in the match between both teams.
Correct score
Another bet that does exactly what it says on the tin: you are wagering on the score in sets. For example, 3-2, 2-1, 3-0 etc.
This is another straightforward bet to understand but can be tough to hit.
The state of volleyball is excellent right now with the NVA going from strength to strength and the European leagues becoming more popular too. Players like Maksim Mikhaylov, Wilfredo Leon and Sergio Dutra Santos are wowing audiences around the world.
The sport shows no sign of slowing down in its growth and with sportsbooks now fully on board there are even more ways to enjoy a volleyball game day.
