Pusta? A basic introduction to sports betting for Filipinos
DISCLAIMER: This article is not meant to be consumed as financial advice or betting strategy to utilize in order to earn money. The purpose here is to educate the reader on important aspects to know when it comes to sports betting in the Philippines.
It’s no secret that sports betting in the Philippines continues to grow in awareness and accessibility with each passing year. In fact, major sporting events – the PBA for example – has already started partnering and collaborating with these platforms, indicating further growth to come.
Given this significant development which over the course of time has proven to have staying power in the global sports scene, we aim to provide important reminders in case you plan to embark on the journey of sports gambling – or as some handicappers want to call it, “sports investing.”
The information you will read is courtesy of our contributors who happen to be regular gamblers, Sanjay Belani and Denzeal Chung:
Denzeal Chung has betting over the past seven years. It’s something that he’s been doing to gain a small income as a hobby. He started betting on basketball and volleyball. He loves sports which makes him want to bet in order to make watching the game interesting on another level. It gives him a sense of thrill and excitement.
Sanjay Belani has been betting on sports over the last 16 years. It’s something that he’s done throughout his adult life in order to add an extra stream of income alongside his job in tech. He started out by betting on basketball but in recent years he’s learned to analyze other sports such as American football and baseball. Sports betting is fun for him because he loves watching the games and placing bets on them. His strategy focuses on being conservative – setting a target of how much he wants to win on a weekly/monthly basis and being disciplined enough to cash out when that goal is met.
1. Bankroll Management
Denzeal: Start small and gradually build up your wallet size for betting once you have a good idea of how to bet responsibly. Never loan or take something that’s out of your reach just to gamble. This will get you in trouble in the long run. Bet what you can only afford to lose.
Sanjay: Your bankroll is the amount you’ve set aside for gambling. Your bankroll should be something you would spend for entertainment purposes because there’s always a possibility of losing it all. Managing your bankroll effectively means betting within your comfort zone and limits.
For example: you start with a bankroll of ₱5,000.00 for the 2024 Olympics. That should be your budget for the entire event. On the first event, ideally you should be betting not more than 5% of your bankroll which means your maximum wager should not exceed ₱250.00. Following this method helps you at looking at it as an investment rather than going all in and cashing in from your savings every time you bust.
2. Never let your emotions get involved
Denzeal: One key fundamental principle to gambling success is control. Once you get tilted or too happy, you will place a bet and deal with the result afterward in nonchalant form. If you lose, you might get too eager to win it back and double up the stakes just to make up for the loss. Learn how to suppress your emotions once you lose a bet and be optimistic moving forward.
Sanjay: Don’t bet with your heart. Betting on your favorite team or player can be tempting, but it’s not always the smartest move. Bet with your head, not your heart.
3. Where to bet?
Denzeal: Arena Plus is a PAGCOR-licensed sports apps featuring local & international sports properties. It can be downloaded from the app store for iOS, and in Google Play via Android. Cash in and cash out safely via GCash. It takes about a minute to 5 minutes to cash in and 1-3 hours to cash out depending on the size of your request.
Sanjay: Make sure to find PAGCOR accredited sports betting websites such as Arena Plus to ensure your funds are secure and you get paid out. There are many unauthorized sites that could fly by since they’re offshore.
4. Understanding Sport lines
Denzeal: “Matchwinner” or “Moneyline” (ML/MW) means you will be placing a bet on the winner of the fight/competition/match/bout/game. “Handicap” means a point system where a team should cover how many points to win the bet slip.
For example: during the Paris Olympics, Brazil was a -2.5 favorite against Japan, which meant if you thought Brazil could win by 3 then you should have put a bet on Brazil-2.5. But if you thought Japan would keep it close to at least 2 pts or even win the game, then you should have put a bet on Japan+2.5.
Sanjay: In sports betting there are hundreds of markets that you can choose from when gambling. It really depends which one you think you can predict best. You can bet on a handicap, point total, players stats, race to 10.
I’ll discuss the most common ones. Before that let me explain important terminology:
Moneyline (match winner): This is the easiest to understand as selecting this is just basically picking who is going to win. However, if you’re watching something like the underdog Bulls vs. NBA champion Celtics and you pick the Celtics to win at home, you would likely get a return of 5% or odds of a 1.05 unit, which means risking 1,000 would only win you 50.
Odds: This refers to the payout or return you get for your wager. For instance, when you bet on handicap and get 1.9 value that means you risk 1,000 and if you win you get back 1,900 (900 in profit).
ATS (against the spread): Spread means handicap. For example: if the Lakers and Celtics were to face off at the Lakers home arena, the Lakers would get a handicap of +4.5, which means if you bet on the Celtics, you need them to win by 5 or more. It’s important to note that some markets may include overtime situations and some might only be settled in regulation. Usually sportsbooks indicate the coverage of your bet.
Favorites: Usually referring to the superior teams or those who are predicted by oddsmakers to win. For example: If Boston were to face any team on their home court with their full roster, they would be a favorite. Another example: Boston is the current favorite to win the 2025 NBA championship, meaning they have the LOWEST odds amongst all teams.
Underdog: Refers to the team with less chance to win the game. The oddsmakers usually give them a plus (+) and betting them moneyline would multiply your money by a higher multiplier.
For example: If you were to bet on Mavericks against Celtics, the Mavericks were underdogs every game. They were also underdogs for the series
Totals (Combined total score of team a and team b): When betting on totals you’re selecting between over and under of the total score. Circling back to the aforementioned example, if the Lakers and Celtics met, the total could be set at 218.5. That means if you were to bet over 218.5 and the final score is 117-102 (219 combined), you’d win. If you bet under and the score is 117-102, that means you lose, because it went over the total score of 218.5.
5. Trends can be helpful in getting the best value, but not always
Denzeal: Trends are typically used to analyze matches. They are often used by bettors who are into numbers. They’re a good and reliable measure, but sometimes it’s best to not analyze too much. Judgement will most likely get clouded as there are many trends that sometimes contradict one another. This is where your “kutob” or hunch comes into picture
Sanjay: In sports, there are thousands of trends and sometimes they can contradict each other. It’s important to understand that trends can help you win, even if nothing is guaranteed.
A few examples of trends:
After back-to-back games, the Lakers are 0-7 against the spread.
On one-day rest, the Lakers have gone over the total 6 out of 7 times.
When you get into sports betting, you will notice that each sportsbook has different odds.
For example: If San Miguel vs. Meralco were to take place, Arena Plus could have a handicap of -5.5 for San Miguel as a favorite while another betting outlet could have a handicap of -5.0.
If you are betting Meralco then you bet on Arena Plus. If you are betting on San Miguel you’d bet through the other option. The returns and possible winnings could vary too, so always find the best value for placing your bet. Those .5 differences in betting odds come in handy when the game goes down the wire.
Sometimes, you get great value during live betting. Let’s say San Miguel was -5.5 vs. Meralco and Meralco started the game up 15-2, you could then possible get San Miguel at +3.5 or +4.5 which is great value considering they were predicted to win by 6 or more prior to tip-off.
Bonus from Sanjay: Treat sports betting like a business
Sanjay: If you want to succeed as a sports bettor, you need to start treating it like a business. Businesses have a budget, monitor their results, learn from their mistakes, and try to make profitable decisions in every area of the business.
These are all traits that sports bettors need to have as well. Start tracking all of your results and work with a set bankroll. You can add money to your bankroll if you need, but keeping your bankroll separate from your regular finances helps you track it better.
