EXPLAINER: HOW TO BET ON SAILGP
There are lots of ways to bet on SailGP, from betting on individual race winners to backing your favorite team across the entire season. You can even create your own inner-fleet rivalry by placing head-to-head bets and pitting teams against each other. Here’s a rundown of all the ways you can bet on SailGP.
Race winners:
Simply predict the winner of an individual fleet race – the more unlikely the team is to win, the bigger the payout. Some teams have a poor track record with fleet race wins (Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy are still awaiting their first, while the United States has only won one race this season). Others dominate the stats; Australia has won eight so far this season and a total of 69 since SailGP began. But historical data shouldn’t be the only factor. Some teams perform better in light wind conditions (under 15 km/h), while others prefer the stronger breeze (over 30 km/h). Take the venue into account too – does the team have a hometown advantage, what’s the size of the course? Some teams fare better on smaller courses while others prefer to stretch their legs.
Head to head:
If you prefer betting on a one-on-one battle, then go for a head-to-head bet; pick two teams and bet on which one you think will finish higher in the next race, or the overall event leaderboard. As long as the second team finishes worse than the first – you win! This is a clever way to use your team knowledge and pit two teams against each other. The odds will differ for each pairing (Australia finishing above the United States is certain to have higher odds than Spain finishing above France) – but with 132 possible pairings, there’s plenty to choose from.
Event Final qualification:
Bet on which teams you think qualify for the three-boat, winner-takes-all event Final! Teams fight for qualification across seven fleet races. After each race, the odds are recalculated as the teams leading the fleet move closer to qualification. Trialing teams meanwhile will see their odds dwindle as their qualification chances become slimmer and slimmer. Consistency is crucial when it comes to qualifying. Avoiding finishes in the bottom half of the fleet and staying in the top four makes qualification more likely. Teams which are able to move through the fleet and overtake boats are ones to watch.
Event Champion:
Bet on which team you think will rise to the top of the fleet and win the overall event. Only three boats qualify for the winner-takes-all Final, which makes it a very different race to the 12-boat fleet race. Weigh up which team will make the best start and which has more match-racing experience to help it win this tricky Final format.
2025 Rolex SailGP Champions:
After a year of racing around the world, only the top three ranked teams will qualify for the winner-takes-all, Championship defining Grand Final in Abu Dhabi and walk away with the $2 million prize. Do you back a league stalwart like New Zealand or Australia or bet on another underdog victory like Spain in Season 4? The odds for this market are recalculated after each event of the season as teams move up and down the leaderboard. But the winner of the Grand Final remains tricky to predict, right up until the last race of the season begins.
