Betting on Ski Racing

Ski racing is a winter sport, which is why it is popular in the countries of northern Europe, the Alpine region, and North America. In recent years, ski racing has expanded its geography to such an extent that it is no longer surprising to see athletes from Spain or Japan winning international tournaments. As this sport grows in popularity, it’s important for both new and seasoned bettors to consider safe gambling practices to ensure a responsible and enjoyable betting experience.

Only a limited number of bookmakers accept bets on ski racing. Players do not risk betting big money on this sport because ski racing tournaments often end with unpredictable results.

A bit of history

The first cross-country skiing tournaments were held in Scandinavian countries at the end of the 18th century, but the formation of this sport took place only in 1924, when 14 countries created the International Ski Federation (now it has 126 members). In the same year, ski racing was present at the first Winter Olympic Games, and since 1952, Olympic competitions among women have been organized.

World Cross-Country Skiing Championships have been held for men since 1925 and for women since 1954. Another representative cross-country skiing tournament is the World Cup, which has been held since 1973. Every year, all the strongest athletes participate in the World Cup from October to March. This tournament has been organized in 19-26 stages in recent years.

Main bets

• To win the race. The victory of a skier on a certain stage or the tournament as a whole.
• A top-three finish. There can be a finish in the top five, top ten, etc. Bookmakers can take bets both for and against a win.
• Skier Comparison. You need to choose the one who will place higher out of two skiers.
• Best of Country. You need to choose an athlete from a certain country who will beat his compatriots in the race.

Analysis

When analyzing cross-country ski races, it is necessary to take into account the fact that they are of different types. In races with different starts, the athletes start after a long interval of time, in mass start at the same time, and the athletes with the best time are in the first positions. Pursuit races are held in several stages, in relay races, it is necessary to take into account and compare the strength of all team members. There are also individual sprints, team sprints, and other less popular types of races. Athletes can perform well in several types of races at once, but in general, each athlete performs better in a particular race. You can track this by looking at the athlete’s previous performance statistics.

It is also worth looking at the style of the race beforehand. Some athletes are strong in freestyle, others in classic, some are better on the uphills, others on the downhills, etc.

Features of betting on ski racing

The best tournament for betting on ski racing is the World Cup. It is multi-stage, so it is always clear what form the athletes are in at the moment. Bookmakers’ margins on the ski racing markets usually range between 7-8%, but if you bet in several companies, the odds will be a few positions higher.

Ski racing betting markets do not have large volumes, so bookmakers usually put up odds without thoroughly analyzing the events. This is to the advantage of those punters who have access to insider information and who are simply very good at this sport.