During the 1980s to the early 2000s a slightly weird belief that motocross was a child’s sport and motorcycle racing was for adults took hold due in part to a slew of popular children’s movies like The Dirt Bike Kid (1985), Motorcrossed (2001), and Motorcross Kids (2004). This led to motocross being treated as a niche alternative sport for years.
Thankfully, the mainstream has finally caught on to what motocross fans knew all along – it isn’t a step down or a substitute for sport bike road racing, it is a sport in its own right. Motocross requires specialized skills that road racers never have to pick up and the courses and events are more varied and interesting.
With greater mainstream interest comes bigger sponsorship deals and more brands willing to invest in the sport. We may very well be at the start of a new golden age of motocross racing.
Sports betting is also getting a new lease on life in the United States, thanks to the 2018 decision that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was an overreach of federal power. Since that decision, each of the states has the ability to decide if they’re going to allow sports betting within their borders.
Some have yet to vote, while the majority have opted to legalize sports betting in one form or another. Online sportsbooks are incredibly popular with bettors, though in person betting also has its fans.
Since sports betting is so new to Americans, there’s a lot to learn about what you can bet on, how to choose a sportsbook and what kinds of bets you can place. We’re going to try to clear up some of the confusion around betting on motocross.
Can you bet on motocross?
The short answer is yes, you can bet on most professional and amateur sports events in the US, including motocross. The slightly longer answer is that whether or not you can bet on it depends on finding a sportsbook that offers odds on motocross races.
As motocross and sports betting have both grown in popularity with mainstream audiences, it is becoming easier and easier to find good odds on all of the major motocross events.
How to choose a sportsbook
It’s always a good idea to read reviews before betting. You wouldn’t make an expensive purchase or book a hotel room without giving the reviews a quick scan. Most of us don’t even go to a new restaurant without first checking a few reviews, so why would you give your personal information and credit card number or payment app details to a company without doing a little checking first?
The majority of sportsbooks have great security because their business relies on keeping client data safe. Other factors to keep in mind is if the sportsbook is licensed in your state, what kind of promotions and bonuses they offer and what deposit and withdrawal methods they accept.
Bonuses might not sound like a big deal but in the world of sports betting they are since there are so many bookmakers competing for your business. The most common bonuses include a free first bet, risk free bet, or deposit matching. If you’re undecided between two or three sportsbooks, the bonuses they offer can help make that decision for you.
What kind of bets can you place?
Single-event betting is the most popular and the most basic type of bet that you can place. It is simply a bet on the outcome of a race – who will win. There are also parlay bets, which are made up of several single-event bets. If all of the individual bets pay out, the parlay bet does too.
Prop bets are bets on things that happen during a race – like who will crash, how many different race leaders there will be, how many brands will win, etc. These bets won’t be offered by every sportsbook but can add to the fun.
What are the biggest motocross events that you can bet on?
The Grand National Cross Country Series is one of the biggest motocross tournaments in the world. It is loosely inspired by the F1 Grand Prix series, where each race contributes points to determining the overall champion.
Kailub Russell dominated the GNCC for nearly a decade and his retirement cleared the way for Ben Kelley to win last year’s championship title. With a more open playing field now, this will be an exciting series to bet on.
September will see rounds 10 and 11, The Rocky Mountain MC Mountaineer and the Kanati Tires Burr Oak. These are both major events in the series and awaited with anticipation.