4 sports you should be betting on in 2025

The UK gambling market has grown to a massive gross gambling yield (GGY) of £15.6bn, even to betting experts and insiders this sounds significant. But it gets you thinking, it can’t just be football, horse racing and boxing that punters are betting on.

With the rise of esports and new markets making their mark on the industry, there must be more to it. 

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To put some figures to it, the Gambling Commission have quoted that the GGY of active accounts in online sports betting went up 2.6% to £37.4m and rose a whopping 24.1% from pre-lockdown. 

There will still be your football accumulators, racing ante-post bets, or bet builders but here at FIRST, we want to detail some of the sports that are growing their brand or deserve more shine in this busy, competitive market. 

Formula 1

Formula 1 has always been a heavily watched sport both in the grandstands and on the TV, but the combination of Netflix documentary 'Drive to Survive' giving the fans the inside scoop since 2018, plus the Liberty Media takeover in 2017, has helped push the sport to a new level off the track. 

It’s no surprise that 2019 saw the biggest cumulative audience in the last six years, which coincided with 'Drive to Survive' being aired for the first time during that year. However, you can also attribute the boom to Liberty’s big social media push in the last four years, to extend the sport’s reach to a younger, always online audience. On top of this, F1’s move from NBC Sports to ESPN in America and subsequently the extra races added in the US - Miami and Las Vegas has furthered the presence of the sport. 

Until now, the 'Drive to Survive' popularity peaked in 2022, in light of the controversial 2021 season-ending race in Abu Dhabi as Max Verstappen pipped Lewis Hamilton to the Drivers’ championship on the final lap shoot-out, following a safety car.

Verstappen’s utter dominance in the 2022 and 2023 seasons saw a wane in figures and interest. But in 2024, the re-emergence of McLaren as a force in the sport, claiming the constructor’s championship and Lando Norris’ late but unsuccessful charge to the drivers’ title built a buzz around the sport again. All this, combined with Red Bull’s issues have seen seven different drivers claiming at least one race win. With four separate constructors tasting race victory. 

In 2024, a pre-season bet on McLaren to take the constructor’s title would have got 7/1 at Sky Bet with Norris priced up at 14/1 to nab the driver’s championship. 

An unpredictability not seen since 2021, while new driver line-ups in 2025 and regulation changes in 2026, should mean this is a sport to lock in to and make your move on.  

Looking ahead to 2025, both Norris and reigning champ Verstappen are priced up at 2/1 with Betway to win the Drivers’ championship. Lewis Hamilton is 8/1 to claim his eighth Drivers’ title in his new colours of Ferrari red. 

Also check for the rise in bookies hosting Formula E markets on their online sports betting sites as the motorsport continues to develop and grow their audience. 

2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship odds, via Betway

EuroLeague Basketball

Some of the NBA’s biggest and brightest stars came directly from the EuroLeague. Think San Antonio Spurs’ star Victor Wembanyama or five-time NBA all-star Luka Doncic cutting their teeth on the courts of the EuroLeague. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, even had a FC Barcelona roster spot taken away from him, before he could step foot on the gym floor.

It’s a great breeding ground to track players in the early stages of their careers and chart their progress to the USA, but also fall in love with players who ply their trade in the league for years. This is the route recent two-time EuroLeague champion Vasilije Micić took. Playing in the league from 2014-2023. 

As of December 2023, 38 former EuroLeague players were plying their trade in the NBA. 

But whilst the likes of Doncic, Wembanyama, or even Atlanta Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic are now part of the NBA elite, the EuroLeague has fully fledged stars and historic teams. Panathinaikos B.C were founded 105 years ago in 1919 and are in their 46th season in the league, with Real Madrid competing in their 56th campaign. 

Bookmakers have jumped on too, with a variety of markets open to bettors, starting with money line, points spread, totals and accumulators on offer. If you’re looking for ways to try and leverage an angle you may want to look at team and player props. 

On a side note, The Super League basketball tipped off last September exclusively on DAZN, which will go a long way to showcasing the best of the best that the UK has to offer to a global audience. 

Darts

Yes, it’s always been a big betting sport in the UK market - but since the rise of Luke Littler, and the winning machine that is Luke Humphries, more eyes than ever have found the sport. The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have since confirmed an increase to 34 Players Champs events, a 14th euro tour event and an expansion of The Masters to become a ranked event. 

There’s also been an increase in sponsorship from the betting industry with Paddy Power now the main sponsor for the PDC, including the World Darts Championship. You may see a lot more bookies cross-sell football and casino welcome or reload offers with darts to keep their bettors engaged; and jump on this wave of popularity the sport garnered in 2024.

BetMGM has also signed a deal with the sport to front up the Premier League darts in 2024. This is an exciting partnership that will see the betting platform as the new title sponsor and help raise the profile of the players and the game itself. The Premier League of Darts will begin on 6 February in Northern Ireland and run for 17 nights culminating in the season-ending playoffs from the O2 Arena in London as Luke Littler hopes to defend his title.

BetMGM have a dedicated darts hub available via their website with player profiles, league tables, articles and tips. They also feature Premier League darts specific offers including a double your odds special called ‘golden arrows’. 

GAA - All-Ireland Football 

The Irish might be fuming that GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) is on a list of new sports to bet on, but it’s not just about new sports that sprout out of the ground. Gaelic Games and in particular the 2023 All-Ireland football championship final, sparked a furore around the sport, crossing borders and time-zones when Dublin defeated defending champions Kerry by two points in a scoreline of 1-13 to 1-15 to claim their 31st title. 

The match was also screened on BBC iPlayer which contributed to a peak figure of 1.2m viewers as it reached its climax. 

This was followed up by yet another dramatic final in 2024 as Armagh, who in May were still as long as 22/1 to win the Sam Maguire Cup, edged out Galway by one point in a 1-11 to 0-13 scoreline. That saw a peak audience of 1.1m viewers. 

Reckon Armagh go back-to-back? Or if you fancy a longer odds winner, like Armagh or as long as the 25/1 Cavan in 2020? 

Looking ahead to 2025, Betway have priced 2022 champions Kerry as the favourites to win back their crown at 11/4. Dublin sits at 7/2, with Armagh at 8/1 and Derry at 12s. 

Irish bookies like Paddy Power and BoyleSports, as well as Betway and SkyBet, already have their 2025 outright odds posted. While Ladbrokes, Coral and other major UK bookmakers often open books closer to the time. 

What are you waiting for? Get up to speed with all the GAA football, and keep in mind the GAA’s own responsible gambling measures here. 

Novelty markets

Reality show winners? Political betting? Who will win best picture at the Oscar’s? Novelty and special markets have always been a thing, but not nearly as prominent as they are now. And crucially, could be in the future.

A study by sports betting software provider Altenar highlighted this shift towards unconventional betting markets. Data from various industry reports including Deloitte Insights, Racing Post and iGaming Business highlight that niche markets such as esports and reality TV betting have seen massive year-on-year growth of over 40% out performing traditional sports.

Younger audiences, particularly those aged 18-35 are leading this trend. This group can be attracted to greater diversity of betting markets and interactive user experience, tied less to traditional sports and more to the narratives of the people involved. Particularly with the rise in marketing campaigns activating influencer partnerships and using the latest social media for promotion. 

Like many bookies have started doing with football and darts, cross-sell promotion and bet boosts with traditional sports may become part and parcel of the industry standards.

So if you want to bet on who will win the cheese rolling at the famous Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, the name of the next Royal baby or predict the colour of the Super Bowl winning gatorade. There may be a market for you.

Odds correct at the time of writing.