While the diet of football, cricket and rugby increasingly seems to be an all-year feast, some sports only impinge on the national consciousness on an occasional basis. When they do have their moment in the spotlight, with televised games and coverage in the national press, the public warms to them like a long-lost friend—and the money goes down on the big-name stars and the housewives’ favourites. But when snooker and darts and to a lesser extent sports such as tennis are in the public eye, the spread firms pride themselves on meeting the interest with their normal range and breadth of betting options.

 

If there is an event to bet on, you can rest assured that imagination in the markets will not be lacking. And for the serious spread bettor who is willing to put in the work, events such as the snooker or the darts world championships offer an opportunity to profit. The advantage for the gambler prepared to put in the work, as so often, lies in the ignorance of other people.

 

If the BBC are showing six hours of live snooker coverage or Sky has pledged to show every game of the darts championship live, it is safe to say that temptation will get the better of many gamblers. The greater the TV coverage, the more business the spread firms expect. And the chances are that the more ‘occasional’ the sport, the more ill-informed the judgement of its audience will be.