April 9, 2025

How Sports Bets Are Influenced

Reading time5 min

Real sports fans are rarely shocked by an outcome, but it happens occasionally. To everyone. These 4 factors often have a big influence on the results. Take it all in so you are well-prepared when you place your next bet! If you are an athlete yourself these four factors might sound familiar. But still, they can sometimes be overlooked. Especially by punters betting on the bigger sport events. Read on and prosper when you bet at Betsson.

The Weather

Are athletes less concentrated after a rain-delay perhaps? Weather conditions can determine the outcome of a sports match and are therefore an important factor to consider when placing a bet.

Tennis players, for instance, are often plagued by rainfall. Matches are sometimes suspended for hours or even days and these delays can easily cause a slip in concentration. This can result in unexpected outcomes. During the fourth round of the 2016 French Open between Agnieszka Radwanska (number 2 on the WTA rankings) and Tsvetana Pironkova (number 112), a two-day postponement occurred. Radwanska was ahead at 6-2 3-0, but when the two players resumed play in adverse weather conditions – it was still raining – the Polish player unexpectedly lost the second and third set.

Wind can also wreak havoc. Take the Masters Golf tournament for instance. With a stroke of 140 yards (128 metres), you may gain an extra 10 metres with wind force 3 at your back, but when the wind is against you, you can quickly lose 20 metres. That is why golfers have to adapt their stroke technique to the wind speed, which is always tricky. The ball may be carried away by the wind and at the moment the golfer strikes or chips the ball, it may very well fly in the opposite direction. Even when professional athletes are in top condition physically, it could still be too much for them.

With unexpected weather conditions, the mental aspect of the game becomes tantamount. And it is precisely during bad conditions that underdogs can win from the favourite on pure will power.

2. Recovery time

Tip: Always check the results of a previous match or race.

Before you bet on a sports match or tournament, it is wise to check the results of the previous match or race of the contenders. Both the date of the last activity and the playing schedule can yield surprising insights.

Check date and performance last outing:

      The time between matches is crucial for athletes to recuperate. If the last match was played relatively recently, the athlete may not have had sufficient time to recover. Especially when he or she was really tested in this latest outing, you will often see a drop in performance.

      Check athlete’s or team’s playing schedules

      Sometimes teams have to play many games in a short time frame. Reason for this could be that they are involved in two different competitions simultaneously. Take football club PVS Eindhoven for example. In the 2016/2017 season, the club played in the Dutch Eredivisie, the Cup tournament and the qualifying round of the Champions League. This effected their playing schedule: they had to play no fewer than 17 matches over a three month period from September through November. The first game PSV then played in December was against Roda JC. The latter last placed team only played 10 matches over the same period.

      Although PSV had more opportunities to score, the defending champion from Eindhoven was unable to win and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. It is very likely that their overloaded playing schedule has had an effect here.

      Physical condition of the player(s)

      Tip: Take injuries and recovery times into account

      Despite the consummate care of physical therapists and sports doctors, professional athletes cannot escape injury. Injuries can effect both individual athletes and entire teams. Individual players must be careful not to return from injury too soon. This is what happened to tennis star Rafael Nadal in 2016. He started the 2016 season well enough, but was forced to stop in the third round of the French Open due to a wrist injury. Nadal had to pass on Wimbledon. But the rest he had prior to the US Open didn’t help him any either: the former number 1 lost in the fourth round. The reason? He had not wholly recovered from his wrist injury.

      Also team players returning from injury are often no guarantee for success – this was revealed by a study carried out by the University of Pennsylvania. Their survey analysed the performance of NFL wide receivers (WR) and running backs (RB) after a return from injury. On average, performance dropped by 33%. Injuries can impact the physical and mental condition of all athletes. Even the biggest stars do not return in their best form after injury. This is something to consider before betting.

      Mental condition

      Does your favourite athlete/team feel the pressure of the fans? At the top level of sport, the pressure is immense. And this pressure can effect how the game is played. The pressure of fans is especially great during international tournaments, like the 6 Nations Championships in rugby. During these hugely popular battles, entire countries get behind ‘their’ team. This positive support never fails to result in surprising outcomes. In the NBA, an obvious connection can be made between a team’s performance and the lack of loyalty of their fans. In 2016, the Denver Nuggets had a winning percentage of .41 and they had the lowest attendance rate at home in the Western Conference.

      Last Updated: 09.04.2025