One good thing to come of the year 2020 was an interest in table tennis. As one of the few active sports available sports bettors, it was a diversion for sports-starved fans. However, over time, something fascinating developed.
It suddenly became apparent that table tennis wasn’t just something for the hardcore gamblers. Instead, fans and bettors alike began to realize that the sport is incredibly entertaining, not to mention a fun wagering option.
The sports world continues to inch back to normal, but table tennis is still attracting lots of attention. Folks are still wagering on the top players and leagues around the world.
You can, too, and it’s easy to start. Join us as we explore everything you need to know about table tennis betting in Iowa.
If you’ve recently become aware of table tennis and would like bet on it, all you’ll need is a sportsbook account and some funds. It’s now legal and safe to place sports wagers online in Iowa.
To begin, click on a link above for one of our recommended sportsbooks. These are the best and safest places to play, and they’re offering some great welcome bonuses. Once you click the link, you’ll be directed to a new page to register.
You’ll need to follow the prompts and enter basic info, including your name, address and date of birth. After that’s done, verify your information is correct and click the submit button. This action creates your account.
Next, be sure to take the time to download the app for your mobile device from the sportsbook website. Once you’ve done that and logged in for the first time, you’ll be good to go with access to a legal and safe sportsbook online and on your phone.
Funding your account is just as easy. Leading sportsbooks offer several options, such as debit cards and PayPal, and deposits, which process quickly. Once you have funds in your account, it’s time to bet.
Locate the list of sports available for betting and click on the link for table tennis. All the upcoming options will appear from there. Once you find one you like, click on the odds to add it to your betting slip, plug in your wager amount and click on “Submit.”
Sportsbooks aim to attract as many new users as possible. To that end, they’re not shy about offering some excellent sign-up bonuses for new players. Here’s a quick rundown of the top options:
If you’re new to the world of table tennis, there’s some good news. It’s pretty easy to understand, and the scoring is straightforward. Players compete in head-to-head matches that are split into games. The typical format is either best-of-five or best-of-seven. The first player to win three or four games wins the match.
For individual points, it’s similar to how scoring in regular tennis works, but not exactly the same numerically, as each point is scored as one. If a player is unable to return a shot or hits it off the table or into the net, the point goes to the opponent. Players get two chances to make a successful serve. When they fail to do so, a point goes to the opponent.
The first player to get to 11 points wins the game, as long as that player holds a two-point advantage. When that’s not the case, a tiebreaker is played until there’s a full two-point advantage for the winner. Here are the ways you can bet:
As you can see, while table tennis is its own sport, there is a lot of correlation with other sports when betting. If you have a good handle on how moneyline, spread, total and prop bets work, then you’ll do fine.
The lack of sports for a good portion of 2020 is a major reason for the explosion of interest in table tennis, but there’s another big catalyst. Scores of users became intrigued when they realized they could bet in real-time as the matches played out.
That was thanks to live betting, also known as in game betting. This fast-growing part of the sports betting landscape affords you the chance to bet right along as the action plays out.
Betting move really fast, with the odds and offerings changing rapidly. Thankfully, the top sportsbooks are up to the task. Following along on an app from one of the big shops is a fantastic way to stay engaged and get some wagers in as the matches play out.
You can bet on simple things like the winner of the next game, or even wager on the winner of the next point. If you like the action slowed down a little, the former is a good place to focus, while points betting can work for those who are intrigued by playing along in a rapid fashion.
All legal sportsbooks in Iowa have rules you must follow. Known as the house rules, they cover all of the ins and outs of betting on a particular sport and how the book will handle various circumstances. Many of the table tennis rules are similar across the industry. Here’s what you need to know:
That covers the big stuff, but we still encourage you to take the time to review the house rules and terms and conditions at the books where you are wagering. There may be some quirks for individual books, so it’s always a good idea to have a handle on what to expect.
The two major governing bodies for organized table tennis are the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the European Table Tennis Union. (ETTU). There are also smaller leagues in countries around the globe, including Brazil, Russia and Ukraine.
When you click on the table tennis link at an Iowa online sportsbook, current leagues and competitions available for wagering will appear. As with other sports, not all leagues are active at the same time, so keep that in mind.
In terms of the top events to look forward to for 2021, we can take a quick gander at the ITTF calendar. Here are a few of the top tour stops to look forward to:
The ETTU maintains a similar calendar with events going on throughout the year. Between the two big tours and the scores of smaller leagues, there are plenty of opportunities to wager on table tennis all year round.
Just like any other sport, there are table tennis players who are elite. Behind them are plenty more jockeying for position, followed by a lower-tier and so on. The ITTF has monthly rankings on how they all stack up.
It’s a fantastic resource to lean on for research purposes. If we look at the current rankings, here are the top three on the men’s and women’s sides:
Top men’s table tennis players
Top women’s table tennis players
International players dominate the top of the ranking’s board, but we can find some from the US if we do a little digging. Here are the current top three from the US for both sides:
Top US men’s table tennis players
Top US women’s table tennis players
One of the biggest sports highlights will be the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which includes table tennis. A total of 172 players will likely compete, with medals for men’s and women’s singles, mixed doubles and team events.
Table tennis players from the US will be competing, as will other top stars of the table tennis circuit worldwide. Due to the upsurge of table tennis betting at legal sportsbooks, there could be lines available during the Olympics as long as the book follows Iowa regulations. The Iowa law states:
“… no wagers on the performance of athletes in an individual international sporting event governed by the international Olympic committee in which any participant in the international sporting event is under eighteen years of age.”
Assuming that’s the case, you can expect to see all the standard table tennis bet types. It’ll be interesting to see if any futures markets develop for the Olympic medal winners.
While the sports world continues working toward getting back to normal, interest hasn’t subsided in table tennis. There’s nothing to suggest that’ll be changing, either. Table tennis is lots of fun to bet on once you get up to speed.
When starting with any new sport, you can lean on some basic handicapping principles. For example, you’ll want to have a complete understanding of what the odds board is telling you and examine each of the matchups you’re interested in betting on to find an edge. Here’s a handful of tips you can lean on:
As with learning to bet on any other sport, there’s a learning curve when it comes to table tennis. However, as the surge in popularity shows, it’s far from an insurmountable one. If you put in a little bit of time and effort, you may have a new addition to your wagering repertoire.
Yes, sports betting was officially legalized in Iowa in May 2019, with the first legal bets placed in the state months later. Table tennis is available for betting at several legal and regulated sportsbooks. As long as you stick to the legal shops, you’ll be good to go.
Following the surge in interest in the sport, there has been scuttlebutt that matches for some leagues are fixed. Here’s what we can tell you. Sportsbooks in Iowa have to answer to the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission. If legitimate concerns were raised about the validity of an event, the market would not be available for betting. For table tennis matches that legal sportsbooks offer, things are legitimate as best as the operators and regulators can tell.
Once a sport reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s generally no trouble keeping up with the latest happenings. That has absolutely been the case with table tennis. There are plenty of online and mobile resources out there that track results and post the latest scores. You can also visit the website of the governing body that’s overseeing the event you’re interested in. Additionally, don’t forget that sportsbooks offer live betting so that you can get up-to-the-minute info there, as well.
There have been plenty of talented table tennis players throughout the years. As with any other sport, there’s quite a debate to be had on the best of the best. One metric that can prove useful is considering the players who have completed the sport’s equivalent of a Grand Slam — wins at the Olympics, World Championships and World Cup. To date, 10 players have turned the trick — five each on the men’s and women’s side. Here’s the list.
It’s a sport with plenty of distinctive characteristics, but you’ll also find that there are parallels to other sports. For a direct comparison, regular tennis works in similar fashion, but the scoring is different. On the betting side, you’ll find variations of the most popular wager types available for table tennis. Also, handicapping is pretty similar as you can rely on many standard tactics. In short, you’ll find that the learning curve for table tennis betting isn’t all that challenging.