Betting on Non-Marquee Sports (Less Popular Leagues than the Big 4)

What Are Non-Marquee Sports?

Most of the time when you hear people talking about sports bets they’re talking about betting on the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB.

The word marquee refers to the big sign above theater entrances, where you see the band's name or show.

We call the four major US leagues “marquee sports” because they’re the feature presentation. They’re headlining the show.

What’s considered a marquee sport depends on which part of the world you’re in. Internationally, it might be soccer, cricket or rugby. In North America, it’s the four major sports leagues we mentioned before.

Non-marquee sports refer to the less popular leagues in North America and worldwide, whether it’s golf, tennis, car racing, or even e-sports. In terms of betting action, sports like this are way less popular than the big four.

But just because a sport or league is less popular than another doesn’t mean there aren’t great gambling opportunities.

As online sports gambling has evolved and gained popularity, it’s now standard for sportsbooks to offer lines on many less popular non-marquee sports.

In the next sections, we’ll take a closer look at non-marquee sports and how to profitably bet on them. And if you’d rather bet on mobile, then look at the best betting apps on the market.

Top 5 Advantages of Betting on Non-Marquee Sports

The issue that sportsbooks have with setting so many lines across so many different sports is that they risk spreading themselves thin in terms of staying up to date on the latest news and spending the time required to create dead-on accurate lines.

Whether it’s moneylines, point spreads, or over/unders, the less time the oddsmakers spend setting lines, the less accurate they will be.

Oddsmakers have to dedicate the majority of their time to the big leagues because they represent such a big part of the book’s business. That often leaves the smaller leagues and less popular sports far less scrutinized.

Here are some of the biggest advantages to look for and keep in mind when considering taking a shot at betting on non-marquee sports:

1. Do early research and hunt for lines that haven’t adjusted to recent news. One main advantage of betting on non-marquee sports is you can find lines where it’s clear the bookmakers are not as up to date as they would be for NFL news, for example.

2. When odds and lines move in marquee sports it is often based on a majority of the public betting big on an over-hyped favorite. Generally speaking, when the public moves a line it is not based on smart money. With smaller leagues, if you see a line shifting it is more often from smart bettors who have found an edge overlooked by the sportsbook. This is a good chance to follow the smart money and make a smart bet.

3. There are many cases of oddsmakers missing out on vital news for non-marquee games because the stories aren’t reported in the mainstream media and you will only know if you follow a particular team closely via their website, Twitter, Facebook, etc. If you notice something significant before the house does you can get an edge.

4. Record the lines throughout the year and see if you notice trends in the oddsmakers’ lines. Take a game by game measure of how they set their money line, point spreads, and point totals. Are you noticing any mistakes or exaggerated lines? Are you noticing patterns or redundancies? If so you can exploit it to make a profit. They may just be relying on averages and ignoring important events within the league.

5. If you are an avid fan of a smaller league, make sure to track the statistics closely but do so for many teams, not just your favorite. Sometimes, the oddsmakers will base all of their lines on historical trends but will miss out on current affairs that alter the end results.

Disadvantages of Betting on Less Popular Sports

There are lots of advantages to betting on non-marquee sports, but there are still some drawbacks to pay attention to:

Fewer Betting Options

Compared to marquee events you can expect far fewer betting options when it comes to non-marquee sports.

If you like individual player prop betting, for example, you’ll have a hard time finding a good variety compared to the big leagues. Different sportsbooks offer different options, so make sure to do some investigation and find a set that has good options for the sport you want to bet on.

Most likely you will have to choose between moneyline, point spread, or totals.

It’s a bit of a catch-22 because if your sportsbook does start offering in-depth betting options for the non-marquee league you’re interested in, it indicates that they are now paying more attention to it and subsequently, they will be setting much tighter lines and odds.

Less Media Coverage

This can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on your level of research. As mentioned above, the more popular a league gets, the more attention the oddsmakers will give.

If you are a fan of a sport that is mostly ignored by mainstream media, you have the opportunity to be quicker than bookmakers when you come across fresh and important news about a team or game. The downside is that research takes a lot more legwork.

Fewer Research Resources

These days, thanks to the internet, you can dig up data like never before. Even when information is hard to find, there are other means of obtaining what you seek. You can ask on forums, send tweets to fellow fans, or even email a team directly.

Again, if information is hard to come by you can also see this as a positive and an opportunity to become an expert on your niche team/league in order to outsmart the bookmakers.

Best Non-Marquee Sports to Bet On

Non-marquee sports are a big opportunity for sports bettors looking for an edge. In this section, we’ll explore the most popular non-marquee sports to bet on.

NCAA Football

College football is a huge market that has tons of teams. The most popular divisions and teams definitely get a lot of attention from sportsbooks but the lower level matches are often largely overlooked.

The question is, how deep are you willing to dig? As mentioned before, it is about being in the loop, monitoring the lines, and being quick to take action off of anything you discover that sportsbooks don’t yet know.

NCAA Basketball

The same factors that make NCAA football a good betting opportunity also hold true for college basketball. With these bets, one thing to pay close attention to is the smaller team’s coaching systems and how they operate their offense. Are they up or down tempo? Do they shoot a lot of threes with the closer college 3-point line?

The key is that sportsbooks won’t spend as much time on less popular teams and matchups. Make sure to stay up-to-date on less well-known news and developments and you’ll be able to find great value in this league.

CFL

The CFL brand has grown quickly in recent years and so has its sports betting reach. While it’s primarily a Canadian betting interest, the constantly increasing wagering options shows that sportsbooks are paying the league more and more attention. Even so, it’s still tiny compared to the NFL.

With three-down rules and a wider/longer field, there is a lot of passing in the game that drastically impacts both the score and the prop lines. Also, with different end-of-game rules for clock management you will find a lot of points scored late in games. This is a huge factor for both the spread and the point totals.

WNBA

The Women’s National Basketball Association, while far less popular than NBA and even the men and women’s collegiate game, does have a strong and loyal following. If you’re already part of that fan base, you have an opportunity to turn your WNBA knowledge into profit.

WNBA lines are historically looser than all other basketball betting options. With only 12 teams and a reduced 34-game schedule, it isn’t too tough to become an expert in this league.

Pay close attention to any line movements in WNBA games. As mentioned earlier, when a line shifts in a marquee league, it’s often emotional “dumb money” coming in from the public. When it happens in less popular leagues like the WNBA, it’s often because savvy bettors have found an edge and are putting lots of action on it. Try to react quickly and follow the smart money.

PGA Golf

There’s always been a loyal customer base for betting on PGA golf, and it continues to grow, but it’s still small compared to sports like NFL football.

There didn’t use to be a ton of betting options for golf. Gamblers were restricted to simple bets like who would win the tournament, perform best on the day, or choose between two players competing against each other in a ‘better than’ wager.

Now, golf betting action is starting to open up and offer more options, including live betting. For punters, this opens the door to some great opportunities, especially if you are prepared to do your homework and study how each player fairs in very specific conditions. If you're looking to bet on golf, have a look at the best golf betting sites.

Tennis

Similar to golf, tennis is mainly an individual sport for athletes. It’s a lot different from other team sports, and it definitely has big implications when it comes to betting. This is especially true when you’re betting on lesser-known players.

Of course, the Federers, Nadals, and Djokovic’s of the world will all have sharp lines. They are known by all, and the betting action that tennis attracts will focus mainly on these superstars. Everyone knows them, and everyone talks about them, including the oddsmakers. It’s hard to get an edge.

Those matches on the satellite courts with two young kids fighting to get into the tournament where we’ll find the loose lines. If you’re willing to put in the work, you can find great value on your bets.

NASCAR

NASCAR is huge in the US, but it’s relatively small in terms of gambling markets. With America’s new legal sports gambling landscape beginning to make an impact across the country, we’ve started to see more sites offering more betting options for NASCAR.

For avid fans who also take their sports wagering seriously, this is a prime opportunity to outsmart the bookies and identify loose lines.

Take a look at how NASCAR compares to the NFL when it comes to revenue, audience, salaries, and more.

MMA

Over the last decade, we’ve seen both Bellator and the UFC make huge waves in the sporting world.

More TV time and ad revenue have made it an industry leader in pay-per-view and brand recognition. Gambling lines are starting to follow suit as many sportsbooks are now offering lines on more events, more fights per card, and also more props per fight.

With many fighters entering the UFC from smaller fighting circuits, the oddsmakers have difficulty discerning exactly where to set lines for up-and-comer fighters.

By digging deep into these fighters’ backgrounds, especially with most athletes having their full resume viewable on YouTube or elsewhere, you can use this information to get a leg up.

Find the best UFC betting sites to get started with betting on UFC.

E-Sports

With how esports are gaining popularity and the stunningly massive spikes the industry earns in revenue, it is no surprise that sportsbooks are getting in on the action. The thing is, are oddsmakers actually experts?

Most sportsbook oddsmakers have no clue about gaming. Why should they? It’s basically a new phenomenon in the grand scheme of things. To set lines efficiently, many books have to reach out to experts in the gaming field.

If you are into the e-sports space, you are likely just as qualified as anyone else to know how well different teams and players will perform. For now, at least, this is an avenue for finding great betting value.

Non-sports

Non-marquee betting action has spread so far that prop bets on major non-sporting events are popping up all over the main sportsbooks. There are wagers on politics, bets on the entertainment industry, beauty pageants, and even bets on which organization will first land on Mars.

Each year, when the Oscars roll around, you should have no problem finding lines available for nearly all categories on nearly all sportsbooks.

The point is that sports betting is expanding its reach, and that gives punters ample opportunity to find value in it.

Just make sure you don’t end up on the sucker’s end of those props. That is where a little homework can save you big bucks.

Less Interest from Sportsbooks Means Looser Lines

Loose lines refer to inaccurate odds set by the sportsbook and are what sports bettors live for. This could be a point spread that gives way too many points to the underdog, a point total that is way off the mark or moneyline odds that are way too loose for one team or the other.

We see loose lines more often in smaller leagues and sports simply because oddsmakers spend less time on them. Loose lines are especially common when the smaller-level game runs concurrently with a major marquee game happening in the big leagues.

When this takes place, the smaller event flies so far under the radar that it can seem like the sportsbook threw up the line without doing any homework at all.

Relatively speaking, there’s such a small amount of the sportsbook’s action riding on the non-marquee game that it doesn’t make much sense to spend a lot of time setting the perfect line. Instead, you’ll find sportsbooks post lines based on historical averages and computer models instead of careful deliberation.

The Super Bowl, for example, will be scrutinized endlessly by oddsmakers because there’s a ridiculous amount of money riding on it. If there are less popular games and matches happening simultaneously, it’s a great opportunity to find loose lines.

Smaller Leagues Mean Less Research

Not only are smaller leagues easier to research by virtue of their size, they are also perfect for getting angles on information that only small groups of dedicated fans share amongst each other. This type of news stream is hard for oddsmakers to keep up with, especially since there are so many leagues and teams worldwide in so many different sports.

Becoming a member of a team’s online community through forums, official homepages, social media etc, is a perfect way to get up to the minute information as soon as it happens. If you can take fresh news of something that can impact a game’s outcome and apply it to the odds before they get adjusted (assuming they ever do) you just found yourself some added value. That’s the name of the game.

This point ties in with the next section, which explains how creating a betting niche for yourself can pay off big.

How to Create a Betting Niche

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, online sportsbooks offer more sports to bet on than ever before. This includes lots of smaller, less popular sports that weren’t available for wagering before.

One really powerful sports betting strategy is to focus way in and create a narrow niche for yourself. Focus on one league or even one team and learn absolutely everything there is to know about it.

This approach can earn you an edge over oddsmakers because they’re responsible for setting odds on many different sports, teams, and leagues. By restricting yourself to a narrow slice of one sport, you can become an expert.

Here are some tips for creating a profitable betting niche in non-marquee sports:

Exploit Human Error

Computer models and artificial intelligence are smart and getting smarter all the time, but in the sports betting world, the final decisions on odds are still made by humans. That means human error is still a factor you can exploit.

Oddsmakers don’t make many mistakes in leagues like the NFL and NBA, but they definitely miss the mark from time to time when it comes to less popular, non-marquee sports. By becoming an expert in a narrow niche, you’ll be able to spot their mistakes when others can’t.

Explore More Sports

Finding a betting niche is a prime example of how and why non-marquee sports betting is a great opportunity. Explore other less popular sports to find a niche that looks inviting. Niches work best when you’re passionate about following the action and all the latest news.

If you are lucky already and you’ve found some lower-level leagues that you follow closely and have the opportunity to place bets on, great. If not, look for sports you’re interested in that are also offered by the sportsbook you use.

Remember, you don’t have to already love a sport to find a new niche league to bet on. Dig around, talk to people, register for some forums. You might find yourself becoming a fan of something you otherwise never would have followed.

Start Recording Results

To learn how to take advantage of loose lines in niche markets, you need to track each game and its odds. It may take some time at first, and it helps to create a spreadsheet. This homework will let you see both the line movements over time as well as the odds that the sportsbook are laying.

When you are privy to news from a team you follow closely, be sure to quickly check the odds to see if you found out before the house did. If the odds don’t reflect the latest news, seize the opportunity.

Small Leagues = Big Wins

Whether you’re already a die-hard fan of a non-marquee sport or are willing to discover and learn new sports to bet on, less popular leagues offer outstanding betting opportunities.

If you focus your time and energy on becoming an expert in a narrow niche, like one team or one division, you can actually become more knowledgeable than the oddsmakers who are in charge of setting the lines.

Add to that the fact that many sportsbooks barely skim the surface when setting odds for some non-marquee sports, and you can find a big edge.

With non-marquee sports, when you hear the news, there is a good chance you’re one of the first. If you are savvy, quick, and diligent, you can use this information to your benefit with huge dividends.

For more tips to improve your sports betting results, browse our library of sports betting strategy guides.