Now that sports have or are resuming, it is time to make sure you can wager from home or while you are out taking care of business.
Take horse racing for example. Tracks are running around the country, but most without fans. With off-track wager facilities shut down as well, the lone way to bet is either online, or through an app on your phone.
To many it can be done somewhat intimidating, much the same way the self-wagering machines have been as opposed to going to a mutual clerk at the track.
On the surface, it does appear daunting, but the reality is, wagering online on an app is easy to learn and makes it more convenient to wager, be it away from the track or even at the track, where you have the option to place a bet without leaving your seat.
Most of my gambling friends wager online or on an app, which makes sense. Wagering online allows the horse racing fan to bet from their house and not spend the entire day gone from your house and your family, especially on the weekends.
There is always going to be a honey-do list on the weekend and if you can blow through the list, while getting your bets in, as well as watching the races, then it is a win-win!
It is the biggest question facing Off Track Betting facilities, and to a lesser extent, live racing. If I can bet at any track and be able to watch the race as well from home, why leave?
During the work week, it is easy to place a bet on your phone, then watch the race on your phone as well, all easily done quickly, without disturbing your workday.
Betting apps have increasingly gotten popular, with horse racing getting more attention. According to least one study, horse racing has garnered the third most wagering on apps, trailing only football and basketball.
There are a variety of betting apps, and each is good. It comes down to which app you are comfortable using to place your bets.
The first consideration would be is that app compatible with your phone. Some are made for iOS, some for Androids and some that will work on either.
I have been using a TVG app and online platform and it works well for my purposes. Xpressbet, DRF, and TwinSpires are a few of the other apps available.
While it can be confusing to someone using for the first time, if you just read the screen and follow the prompts, you will be an expert in no time!
When you get on the app, there is a menu that allows you to select the track you want to play. When you get to the track, select the race you want, once again following the prompts on the screen.
Once you are at the race where you want to place a wager, there is a menu above the horses that asks for which type of wager you would like to make. Say you want to make a win wager.
You select win, then are given the options of win, win/place, or win/place/show (which is known as an “across the board” wager).
After you pick which win option you want, then select the horse from the program type list on your screen. At that point you input the amount you want to wager, then submit it and your wager is placed.
The same came be done for any type of wager, be it a straight win, place or show bet, or your full options of exotic wagers like exacta or trifectas to name a couple.
Do not be intimidated when thinking of wagering on an app. It is something to be easily mastered and is something that allows you greater opportunity to follow and wager on the races.
By Dennis Miller