In many respects, you can break down gambling into two broad categories, each with their own unique properties and values. On the one hand, you have sports betting, which also includes betting on non-sports events like the Oscars or your favorite reality competition show, whereby a wager is placed on a specific outcome of an event of which you yourself do not partake. Casino games, on the other hand, including everything from the cheapest slot machines to the highest-rolling game of craps or roulette, are, of course, the sort of games you might find at a casino, but to contrast them to sports (and related) betting, you are more of an active participant in the game itself. 

But which one is better? Which one is most worth staking your hard-earned money on? Honestly, it depends but here are a few factors to consider when deciding between these two major types of gambling.

What Are Your Intentions?

The most important aspect when choosing between the two schools of gambling is what you’re actually looking for when you gamble. If you’re looking for a fun way to blow off some steam and winning some extra money is a nice side effect, casino games are probably the way to go. If you’re looking to win some serious money and you are well versed in the thing you’re betting on then sports betting and the like is definitely the way to go. Obviously these are broad generalizations but they’re a good start in understanding the appeal of both forms of gambling and their differences. There are some caveats, though.

Are You a Sports Fan?

This should be a huge deciding factor in deciding which form of gambling to stake your money on. Regardless, in fact, whether you’re wanting to gamble for fun or money, if you’re a huge sports fan – or a huge fan of whatever it is you’re betting on – sports betting is a great way to make some dough on your favorite sport. Unlike with casino games, though, where really anyone can join in a (beginners) game of poker or can put a couple of bucks on red on the roulette table or throw some change into a slot machine, sports betting really requires you to know your way around the sport itself, the way sports betting works and the ins and outs of the players and teams and who is most likely to go the distance and who looks all set to fall by the wayside.

If you’re already following the Premier League, for example, you already have an in with knowing on who and what to bet on. On the flipside, though, being a football fan, for example, means that you support a specific team and if you try and turn your passion for, say, Manchester United, into a way to make some money, you need to know about a lot more than just your favorite team and, worst of all, you may well have to bet against the team you support to win with the bookies!

Sports betting offers a real advantage to avid sports watchers as the bets you place aren’t just about throwing some money at a wall and hoping some of it comes back but about using your fandom and your knowledge to make smart, well-thought out wagers on the most likely outcome. On the downside, though, sports betting can be a case of mixing business with pleasure as needing to study the game intently to make some serious cash can adversely affect your actual enjoyment of kicking back with some mates to watch the Super bowl or the World Series.   

If you’re not into sports, though, even if your main intention is to win big with a well placed wager, you will need to ask yourself if it’s worth trying to study all the ins and outs of something you don’t particularly care about even for a good pay out. Especially because there are much better options out there.

An All in One Solution

While sports betting is a smarter, well, bet, if you know your favorite sport inside and out, and it uses strategic thinking and smarts to win rather than just good luck (though that certainly helps), casino games simply have more to offer. There is, obviously, a much wider variety of games to try your hands on. Sports betting can be intricate and there is some variation between betting on different sports but when you get down to it, as an activity, it’s actually pretty samey.

Casinos, however, offer you a number of different options for you to choose from. Joining a game of poker is very different from hitting the roulette table and both are very different from slot machines. Each game has its own attractions and drawbacks and that’s both in terms of enjoying the game and making actual money. Slots, for example, can be very monotonous and your chances of winning are low, but with its low entry costs and the possibility of hitting a jackpot and making serious money with minimal effort, you may want to take a shot at it. 

Joining a poker game, on the other hand, can be extremely expensive and it requires a solid knowledge of how to play the game and how to read your opponents, but as an active, social game, it’s arguably the most fun gambling option around, which also gives you much greater control of how you win or lose. Similar advantages and weaknesses are true of a game like blackjack.   

There’s just more on offer at a casino and though there are specific reasons to go for sports betting instead, the variety and enjoyment of casino games ultimately win out.