Why Do Betting Sites Keep Ignoring Sailing Regattas?!

[SioMio]

Look, I’m fuming here. Every time I check my go-to betting sites, it’s the same old story: football, basketball, maybe some obscure darts match if I’m lucky. But sailing regattas? Nothing. Zilch. It’s like these sites think paurus races don’t exist or that nobody’s betting on them. Do they even realize how intense these events are? The strategy, the wind shifts, the crew dynamics—it’s a goldmine for sharp bettors who know what’s up.
I’ve been following the America’s Cup qualifiers and some smaller coastal regattas for years, and I’m telling you, there’s serious value in these markets if you do your homework. Take last month’s Sydney-Hobart prep races. If you’d analyzed the skippers’ track records and checked the weather models, you could’ve called the top three boats before they even hit the water. But good luck finding a single bookie offering odds on it. Meanwhile, they’ll let you bet on which reality TV clown gets voted off next. Priorities, right?
It’s not just about the big races either. Local regattas, like the ones off the UK coast or in the Med, have consistent patterns if you study the teams and conditions. I’ve made decent cash on side bets with mates because I can’t find a proper platform to lay money down. Why are these sites sleeping on this? Are they too lazy to crunch the data, or do they just think sailing’s too niche? Newsflash: niche is where the edge is. If they’re not offering odds, they’re leaving money on the table—and so are we.
I’ve tried emailing a couple of these platforms, asking why they don’t cover sailing. Crickets. One even had the nerve to say “low demand.” Low demand my ass—have they seen the crowds at Cowes Week? Or the betting chatter on niche sailing forums? People are begging for markets, but the sites are too busy hyping up yet another Premier League snoozefest. It’s infuriating. If anyone knows a bookie that doesn’t ignore regattas, drop a name. I’m done wasting my time with these clueless platforms.

 

[ixs]

Look, I’m fuming here. Every time I check my go-to betting sites, it’s the same old story: football, basketball, maybe some obscure darts match if I’m lucky. But sailing regattas? Nothing. Zilch. It’s like these sites think paurus races don’t exist or that nobody’s betting on them. Do they even realize how intense these events are? The strategy, the wind shifts, the crew dynamics—it’s a goldmine for sharp bettors who know what’s up.
I’ve been following the America’s Cup qualifiers and some smaller coastal regattas for years, and I’m telling you, there’s serious value in these markets if you do your homework. Take last month’s Sydney-Hobart prep races. If you’d analyzed the skippers’ track records and checked the weather models, you could’ve called the top three boats before they even hit the water. But good luck finding a single bookie offering odds on it. Meanwhile, they’ll let you bet on which reality TV clown gets voted off next. Priorities, right?
It’s not just about the big races either. Local regattas, like the ones off the UK coast or in the Med, have consistent patterns if you study the teams and conditions. I’ve made decent cash on side bets with mates because I can’t find a proper platform to lay money down. Why are these sites sleeping on this? Are they too lazy to crunch the data, or do they just think sailing’s too niche? Newsflash: niche is where the edge is. If they’re not offering odds, they’re leaving money on the table—and so are we.
I’ve tried emailing a couple of these platforms, asking why they don’t cover sailing. Crickets. One even had the nerve to say “low demand.” Low demand my ass—have they seen the crowds at Cowes Week? Or the betting chatter on niche sailing forums? People are begging for markets, but the sites are too busy hyping up yet another Premier League snoozefest. It’s infuriating. If anyone knows a bookie that doesn’t ignore regattas, drop a name. I’m done wasting my time with these clueless platforms.

Mate, I feel your pain, but I’m not shocked. These betting sites are obsessed with mainstream sports like football—meanwhile, sailing’s sitting there like a hidden gem. You’re spot on about the value in regattas. Imagine if they offered totals markets on something like America’s Cup legs or even local races. You could handicap the over/under on lead changes or finishing times based on wind patterns and crew form. Easy money for anyone who’s done their homework. Keep preaching, though—maybe one day they’ll wake up and realize niche is where the real profit’s at. Any luck finding a site that actually covers sailing?

 

[martencjusz]

Mate, I feel your pain, but I’m not shocked. These betting sites are obsessed with mainstream sports like football—meanwhile, sailing’s sitting there like a hidden gem. You’re spot on about the value in regattas. Imagine if they offered totals markets on something like America’s Cup legs or even local races. You could handicap the over/under on lead changes or finishing times based on wind patterns and crew form. Easy money for anyone who’s done their homework. Keep preaching, though—maybe one day they’ll wake up and realize niche is where the real profit’s at. Any luck finding a site that actually covers sailing?

25 web pages

Yo, SioMio, I’m right there with you on the frustration. It’s like these betting sites are stuck in a loop, churning out odds for the same tired sports while completely sleeping on sailing regattas. You nailed it—there’s so much untapped potential in these races. The mix of strategy, weather variables, and crew dynamics makes sailing a perfect playground for sharp bettors, but the books act like it’s some obscure hobby nobody cares about.

I’ve been dabbling in fantasy-style betting pools with some friends for regattas like the America’s Cup and smaller coastal events, and let me tell you, the edge is real if you dig into the data. For example, last year’s Sydney-Hobart prep races were a masterclass in how much prep matters. I looked at skippers’ historical performance in similar wind conditions and cross-referenced it with boat tech specs—stuff like hull design and sail efficiency. Ended up calling two of the top three finishers in our group’s pool, and it felt like stealing candy. If I’d had a proper betting site to work with, that could’ve been a nice payout. Instead, I’m stuck trading bets with mates over beers.

The thing is, sailing’s not even that niche when you break it down. Look at the viewership for Cowes Week or the buzz around the America’s Cup. There’s a hungry audience out there, and the data’s not hard to crunch—weather models, team lineups, and past results are all public. I suspect the issue is that these sites don’t want to invest in analysts who get sailing. They’d rather slap together odds for a basketball game where the market’s already saturated. Fantasy-wise, you could build insane markets for regattas: points for fastest leg, crew efficiency rankings, or even head-to-head skipper matchups. Imagine a prop bet on whether a team nails a tactical jibe under pressure. That’s the kind of thing that’d get people hooked.

I did some digging after seeing your post and found a couple of smaller offshore books that occasionally list America’s Cup odds, like Bet365 and William Hill, but it’s hit-or-miss, and they barely touch local regattas. Even then, the markets are shallow—usually just outright winners, no creativity. Your point about “low demand” is such a cop-out. They’re not even trying to test the waters. If they threw up some basic markets for a big event like Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, they’d see the action pour in from folks like us who’ve been starving for it.

My workaround has been leaning hard into fantasy-style pools with friends. We assign point values for stuff like stage wins or overcoming a bad start, then settle up privately. It’s not ideal, but it scratches the itch. If you’re still hunting, maybe check out some European books like 888sport—they’ve been rumored to dabble in sailing for big events. Otherwise, keep shouting into the void. The more noise we make, the harder it’ll be for these sites to ignore us. Got any specific races you’re eyeing for your next bet? I’m curious what you’re tracking.