How Does Cricket Betting Work in the US?

Cricket? They don’t play that in the USA do they? Actually you’d be surprised.

2023 sees the launch of Major League Cricket, an important franchise cricket competition which is attracting interest from established nations such as India. A year later, the United States acts as co-hosts for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

If you haven’t seen much cricket up to now, you’d better get ready. There’ll be a lot more of it on television and at a large stadium near you.

It’s also hugely popular among the wider betting community. At Unibet, we understand that this is a growth sport in North America so please read on and we’ll tell you what you need to know.

First, let’s consider two questions:

1. How do Cricket odds work in the US?
2. What cricket bets are available in the US?
   

These are the fundamental questions you need to be asking. Let’s answer them in turn.

How do Cricket betting odds work in the US?

Odds are pivotal to any sport: It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about baseball, NFL, chess or… cricket. Cricket vegas odds are in place to tell us two things.

1. The probability of an outcome such as one team winning the match
2. How much we will be paid if we land a winning bet
   

Let’s deal with probability first. Here is a match result bet from Unibet’s sportsbook:

It’s an Indian Premier League game between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals. The two teams each have numbers against their names but what do they mean?

The minus symbol next to Rajasthan tells us that they are favorites to win this game. Punjab, with their plus suffix, are the underdogs.

So, there we have probability taken care of: The cricket odds here have told us who are the underdogs and who are the favorites. The second question related to payouts and that’s where the specific numbers come in.

Punjab Kings are priced at +100 and that means that we will be paid $100 for every $100 staked. Rajasthan have the - symbol and this works slightly differently. Here, we need to stake $125 in order to win 100 bucks.

Of course, the bet has to win if we are to be paid. In the event of a loss, the stake is forfeited.

There we have it: Probability and Payouts are dealt with. Now we come onto a third P - the Public.

Public betting in Cricket

The public are having a say in those cricket odds. Now, we don’t want to upset our odds setters here because they work very hard. However, the early betting will start to split the two teams. The public will get behind the side that they think are more likely to win. The team with less backing becomes the underdog.

The teams split and our odds setters take over. The odds that you see have been put in place and you now know what your potential payouts will be. The final task is to decide whether to bet with the public and stake on the favorite. The alternative is to bet against the favorite and back the underdog.

What cricket bets are available in the US?

When it comes to cricket betting in the US you have a lot of options. Here are some of the options you have when you’re betting on cricket from the US:

#1: Cricket Moneylines

You’ve already seen one: The Moneyline bet is a bet on the match result. In online cricket betting there are different forms of the game. 50-Over and T20 cricket always needs a winner. In test and first class cricket there is scope for the draw.

Cricket can have complicated rules: If cricket purists are watching, they’ll tell you that these are not ‘rules’ they are ‘laws’. We want to keep things as simple as possible but keep in mind those different formats.

So, here’s a Moneyline bet from a test cricket match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The options are a win for either side or a draw.

If you’re new to cricket betting, we recommend that you look at betting on cricket moneylines first. Finding the winner may not be easy but the question is a simple one – who will win the game?

#2: Total runs bets in Cricket

Cricket fans love their stats. Perhaps more than any other sport, there is a need for information relating to performance. In cricket betting, that leads to a wide set of Totals bets.

Here’s one example relating to the Total 6s in a game.

This is another Indian Premier League game. For reference it’s between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Rajasthan Royals. The line has been set at 14.5 and there are options to go Over or Under that line.`

In this game, identical odds of -118 are here for both bets. If you pick a winner, you would need to bet $118 to win $100.

A six is a hit that clears the boundary without bouncing. Think of it as a home run in baseball. Actually, if you aren’t aware of that then we suggest that you watch a few games to familiarize yourself with the sport.

Other totals bets can include

• Total 4s
• Total 6s for a specified team
• Total 4s for a specified team
• Total Runs in the Match

The amount of bets may vary depending on the importance of the game.

#3: Props in Cricket betting

The term prop is commonly used in most sports. It is short for ‘proposition’ and can relate to an event that may happen in a match. In cricket, there are two types of props.

Team Props:

These can include:

• Team to hit most 6s
• Team to hit most 4s
• Team to score most runs in the first six overs of a game
• Team of Top Batter

The second category is:

Player Props

These will typically include

• Highest scoring batter in a team
• Highest scoring batter in the match
• Leading wicket taker
• Player of the Match

It’s easy to find those props. Just click on the game that you’re interested in and scroll past the main bets.

#4: Parlays in Cricket betting

What is a cricket parlay? It’s a multiple bet with at least two selections. They come in two forms:

A single match parlay where the selections come from within one game
A multi-leg parlay where the picks are spread over two or more games

Here’s an example of a single match parlay:

In the game between Lucknow and Rajasthan, we’ve bet on Lucknow to win and Lokesh Rahul to be their leading run scorer. Your betslip shows the odds for this combination.

Now let’s try a 3-leg Parlay.

Staying with the Indian Premier League, we’ve gone for Lucknow, Hyderabad and Punjab all to win. The odds are shown and this time we’ve input a stake. The potential payout is also clear.

If it all looks good, click on that big, yellow ‘place bet’ button and the bet rides.

Whether you opt for a single match parlay or a multi-leg version, there is one important point to remember. All selections have to win. If one or more let you down, the bet is lost.

#5: Cricket Futures

Futures bets appear in all sports. They are long term bets for major competitions and events across the sporting year.

Some of the most popular cricket futures include:

• Winner of the World Cups in each format
• Winner of the Indian Premier League
• Winner of the Big Bash in Australia
• Leading Run Scorer in each of the above tournaments
• Leading Wicket Taker in each of the above tournaments

For every test series, one day series, T20 international series or domestic competition. A futures bet should be in place. Just head to the cricket section of the Unibet sportsbook, scroll across and there will be a ‘futures’ tab.

Tips And Strategies to Improve your Cricket Betting

As experts in the field of cricket, we’d like to help out by passing on some advice. We realize that this sport may not be familiar to US bettors but let’s try to simplify things.

#Tip 1: Harness Public Opinion

You can get a little help from the public here. Remember that they will back up the theory of probability. By assessing the match, the betting community identifies a favorite. The favorite has a higher chance of winning so you could just bet with the public. Stake on the team with the shorter odds if you wish.

You can bet against the public. The choice is yours, but we urge you to think carefully rather than just follow the herd.

#Tip 2: Research, Research, Research

You are not a sheep. You do not need to blindly follow the public. You can bet on the underdog, or you can bet on the favorite but only you can make the final decision.

There is no substitute for your own research. Like any sport, cricket needs to be considered carefully. Form and other factors can all play their part in the final outcome.

Having established that you are a human, what factors should you look out for?

Form: We’ve touched on this subject. How is a team performing? Do they come into the game on the back of several wins or have they suffered a number of defeats?

Head to Heads: Head to head results can offer strong clues: How has a team performed against this opposition in the past. While there are no guarantees, historical results can be an indicator moving forward.

Ground and Conditions: Unlike most sports, cricket results can be greatly influenced by internal and external conditions.

The weather can play a big part here. If it’s a cloudy day, that cloud cover can aid swing bowlers. Dry and hot conditions could help the spinners.

Did you think you would be checking the weather forecast as part of your betting strategy? With cricket it’s recommended.

#Tip 3: When to Parlay

We’ve walked you through parlay betting. It’s a different approach to cricket bets but should you take this path?

If you’re just starting out, we recommend the Moneyline bets to begin with. They are simple to understand and offer a good introduction to any sport.

With parlays, you can mix things around. The multiple could be simple with two Moneyline picks. Or, you can add in other types of bets. The number of bets is also optional.

Always remember, a parlay provides longer odds but there is a balance. Greater exposure is the counter here. Only one leg of that multiple has to fail and your stake is lost. By all means consider the parlay but be aware of the mechanics behind it.

#Tip 4: Make the Most of Your Cricket Betting Offers

Unibet lists some great offers and promotions and we don’t want you to miss them. Remember to opt in for notifications and we’ll update you. You can also check the promotions page of our website.

Our cricket odds are seriously competitive but those promos could offer extra funds, free bets or other bonuses subject to terms and conditions.