Bandy is one of those rare sports that presents betting opportunities by virtue of a lack of public knowledge.

An outdoor game played on ice, it has its origins in Victorian England, and remains extremely popular in sections of the world, particularly in Scandinavia.

A niche sport presents opportunities

If you’re a bandy fan, and have been following it all your life, you may not agree that bandy is a niche, or minor sport, but in this case, we are comparing it to globally higher profile sports such as football, golf or basketball. The fact remains that many punters have never heard of bandy, yet even in those countries where the sport is unknown, bookmakers will often feel obliged to offer bandy markets.

And it is for this reason that bandy offers opportunities for the shrewd punter. Ask any random punter to name the world’s best footballer, and they are likely to give you a shortlist. But the stars of bandy are almost entirely unknown. The punters you will be competing against in the bandy markets will be operating with a high degree of ignorance, while bookmakers in most countries won’t devote too much time or resource into fine-tuning their bandy prices.

Know your teams

Of course, you may also need to improve your own knowledge of the sport to bring it up to scratch before you start betting, but the game is relatively simple to follow and once you know the basics, you can move on to getting to know tactics, and then assessing the merits of the various teams. You could even try looking for bandy team ratings, which can give you a further advantage.

When researching the merits of bandy teams, it is a good idea to stick to one league or competition, particularly if you are relatively new to the sport. Whether that is the Swedish Elitserien or the Russian Yvsshaya Liga, you will find it easier to acquire a depth of knowledge if you focus your efforts.

Consider the handicaps

If you’ve done your homework, you should be in a strong position to make a profit from the main Match Winners markets on bandy fixtures, but it is often a good idea to check out the Handicap markets, which can offer an even bigger edge to the shrewd bandy punter.

Handicap betting can be particularly profitable for those who take the time to analyse how motivated each team is for a game. Identifying which is the stronger team in any game is relatively straightforward, but if you know how motivated they are, you are then in the position to assess how determined they will be to make their superiority count and overcome the stated handicap. Careful study of how a team performs when they are the strong favourites, as well as an understanding of which games they are particularly keen to win can give you a significant edge in handicap betting.

Conclusion

Betting on bandy remains a relatively obscure corner of the punting world, but as a result, it offers significant benefits to punters prepared to do their homework. Bandy is also an entertaining, dynamic game, so that homework will be enjoyable, as, hopefully will your profits!