Betting on cricket matches is pretty alien to most Americans., but the sport is very closely followed by a few sections of the population.
With India, Pakistan, West Indies, Australia and England among the leading international teams, it’s easy to see why the game still gets some interest Stateside.
The international game draws a lot of buzz and has three different formats:
- Test match cricket: Played over a maximum of five days. Both teams bat twice, but even five days aren’t enough to get a result sometimes. Often games end in a draw.
- One-day international: Played on a single day as the name suggests. Each team bats once, normally for a maximum of 50 overs. Highest score wins. This is the format for the Cricket World Cup every four years (next one in 2023).
- T20 (Twenty20): The newest and most exciting form of cricket. Short games where each team bats for 20 years. High-scoring with plenty of entertainment, lasting around three hours.
Twenty20 also has some pretty popular club/franchise tournaments, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) drawing massive viewing figures and plenty of betting interest. In Australia the equivalent is the Big Bash.
The most famous international rivalries are England v Australia (they play regular Test match series for The Ashes) and India vs Pakistan.
The most famous players today are led by Indian great Virat Kohli, who has an enormous social media following and is treated like a God or a Bollywood star in his homeland.
Is betting on Cricket legal?
In 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA, the law which had prohibited sports betting anywhere except the state of Nevada.
Now all states were free to bring in legal sports betting if they wanted to – and many already have.
Most states who have legalized have done so based on location. So it doesn’t matter where you live, it just matters where you are when you place the bet.
So if you’re in a state which has legal betting, and you’re above the legal age, you can bet.
Check out our state-by-state guides to see the best places to bet near you. These are constantly updated as the situation is evolving fast.
US Open Cricket 2022
Cricket fans (and bettors new to the sport) will get a chance to enjoy it close up in December 2022.
The US Open takes place in Broward County, Florida with games starting December 5 and continuing to the Grand Finals on December 13.
Cricket picks and tips
Even if you do know plenty about cricket, it still might pay to check out free and expert picks before you bet. These will often have strategies and statistical nuggets that will help you.
At Oddscritic we’ll have free picks for you on all the biggest matchups, while often former players and journalists will give their picks too.
If you stay across anybody who makes picks regularly, you’ll figure out pretty soon whether they are worth following! It could make you a ton of money, or lose a ton…
Cricket lines and odds
Cricket lines are the different markets (outcomes) you can bet on for each game.
Because the sport (like baseball) is very stats-driven and can last a long time, there are a ton of options available for the biggest events.
In-play betting and props are growing in popularity, you can literally play all day on some matchups.
Always check and compare cricket betting odds from multiple sportsbooks before you put your dollars down. It pays to shop around for the value.
Cricket money line
The money line for cricket is the simplest bet of all – you are just betting on the outcome of the game. Team A, Team B or the Draw (sometimes referred to as a Tie by sportsbooks).
Example: India vs Pakistan. India is -310, Pakistan is +260 and the Draw is +600
- If you bet India and it wins, you make $100 for every $310 you bet.
- If you Pakistan and it wins, you make $260 for every $100 you bet.
- You bet the Draw and it happens, you win $600 for every $100 you bet.
You can also go for the Draw No Bet market. With only the two teams as options.
Cricket prop bets
As we said, props are perfect to throw up a ton of cricket betting markets. So many different things to bet on – a stat geek’s dream.
For the big international and televised games, there are a ton of props available.
Some of the cricket props offered by sportsbooks are:
- Which team will lead after each has had its first innings
- Which player will take most wickets for a team
- A player to score 100 or more in one innings
- Which player will get the highest score for a team
- Which team will win the toss
Check out all the various online sportsbooks to find out what props they are offering. Great fun.
In-play cricket betting
Because of the statistical nature of the game, and the breaks between each ball (again like baseball), in-play is really popular.
You can even bet sometimes on events in the next minute or two. So there’s a steady stream of betting opportunities. The odds are literally changing after every ball, so you have to be pretty aware of what is going on.
Cricket parlays
Cricket parlays, as in other sports, let you combine multiple outcomes into one bet.
For example you might bet India to beat Pakistan, West Indies to beat Australia and England to beat New Zealand – all in the same bet.
The upside is the odds multiple with each winning outcome so you can get big odds if everything hits.
The downside = it’s harder to hit on three winning outcomes than one.
Cricket public betting
Cricket public betting – like cricket picks – is another way to get some important intel before you place your bets.
Public betting tells you where the money is going with a specific sportsbook. You can see how many bets have been placed on a certain team, or how much money hss been wagered on it.
The money market is really useful – it tells you where the high rollers are putting their dollars down.
Cricket futures
Cricket futures allow you to bet on stuff that is happening in the future – often way way in the future.
For example you might be able to bet with a sportsbook on which team will win the World Cup in 2023.
Because you are betting way in advance, often you can get really big odds. The downside is, even if you win you wait a while for your dollars.
Still, probably better than the interest you’d get from a bank account these days…
Best sportsbooks: Where can I bet on cricket online?
The number of major sportsbooks betting on cricket now is well into double figures.
These sportsbooks are all live and legal in multiple states. If you’re in the right place, you need to decide which one/s are for you.
The first thing to remember is you don’t have to go with just one. If you sign up with a number of sportsbooks you can shop around for best odds. And get the great sign-up offers available to new customers.
Often these can be up to $1000 in free bets so it’s well worth checking out our online bookmaker guides. This give you an honest take on each sportsbook – along with the very latest offers and bonuses.