udo is one of the world’s most renowned forms of martial arts.
It has been prominent in the mainstream sporting landscape since becoming an Olympic sport for the first time in 1964.
Since then, it has been a sport that has amazed and interested audiences around the world regardless of whether they had an interest in the sport before.
However, with its growing popularity, it has led to the question of whether gamblers are able to bet on judo with some of the leading sportsbooks.
Can You Bet On Judo?
Fans of the sport would be delighted to hear that many of the leading sportsbooks allow wagers to be placed on the sport during its biggest competitions.
The most popular of those for a global audience are the Olympic Games, but markets will also be available for World Championships. However, understanding the rules and points scoring is essential.
Athletes are awarded a full point for an ippon, while half points are awarded for a waza-ari.
Judo Betting Markets
When it comes to placing a bet on the judo for some of the biggest competitions, fans will first need to understand the betting markets that are available. For the vast majority of sportsbooks that can be found online, there are three main markets available.
Match Win
The first of those is the match win market. Here, the bettor will simply be placing a wager on the fighter that they believe will win the fight.
Before placing a wager on this market, it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both fighters involved, as this will be the biggest indicator as to which way the fight could go.
Winning wagers are returned should the selected fighter have their arm raised at the end.
Outright Winner
The most popular outright betting market is the outright winner, which gives punters the opportunity to bet on the athlete that they believe will win the respective gold. This market will be available for all weight classifications in both the World Championships and Olympic Games.
The aim of the punter is to predict the fighter that wins the gold medal. If the selected star is the one standing at the top of the podium, then the bet is a winner.
Top Three Betting
However, alternatively, punters can instead place a wager on the fighter that achieves a finish in the top three. This could be a potentially lucrative market when it comes to betting on the sport, as there is unpredictability in judo that few sports can match. For bets to be a winner in this market, the selection must finish in one of the three medal positions.
The returns will be the same regardless of whether the fighter selected wins gold or bronze, which means that punters should ensure that they have done all the possible research to ensure that a bet placed on the athlete winning gold isn’t the more logical selection.
Biggest Judo Competitions
There are huge judo events throughout the year, with the biggest stars often tailoring their training programmes to be at their first best for the competition. The most prestigious gold available to stars is the Olympics.
It has been in every Olympics since the 1972 games, with women’s medals first awarded at the 1992 games. The most medals in Olympic history were on offer during the 2020 Games in Japan.
Aside from the Olympics, the World Judo Championships are the most sought-after for stars. These are held every year, unless they clash with an Olympic Games.
The World Championships were last held in 2021, which was the 59th edition of the event. Japan are the most successful nation at the World Championships, having won 382 medals in total, including 164 golds.
Source: Judo Inside
