Tour de France Odds and National Biases at SBG Global

November 30th, 2010 Cycling Betting

The Tour de France odds involve riders from a wide variety of countries from all around the globe.

Moreover, the Tour de France betting odds will attract action from sports betting fans from all corners of the world. Inevitably, sometimes these online betting enthusiasts will wager on the Tour de France odds with biases deriving from nationalistic pride.

The Tour de France odds actually feature a more diverse set of nationalities than the sportsbook odds offered for virtually any other yearly event. For instance, the Tour de France betting odds for 2009 feature the likes of Spain’s Alberto Contador, America’s Lance Armstrong, Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, Australia’s Cadel Evans, and Russia’s Denis Menchov. In fact, those are simply the top five riders favored in the 2009 Tour de France odds, so one can imagine the range of national diversity one finds within the remainder of the Tour de France betting odds. This diversity in the Tour de France odds helps generate more interest in the Tour de France odds among online sports betting fans and it adds another element of excitement and competition to the race.

Nevertheless, while it may be natural to support the riders from one’s home country as one watches the race, it is unwise to support riders in the online sportsbook sites’ Tour de France odds simply because of where the riders were born. There are many factors one must consider when looking at a sports book site’s Tour de France betting odds, but sharing the same nationality with a rider is not a factor one should consider when assessing the Tour de France odds. This is just one of many biases that can negatively impact one’s assessment of the Tour de France odds, but this particular bias can be very dangerous simply because bettors are typically unaware that they exhibit these biases when handicapping the Tour de France odds. If a bettor is aware of his biases then it can be much easier to counteract such biases, but when a bias is hidden then one may be influenced unknowingly. For example, Armstrong certainly has the experience and talent necessary to provide value within the Tour de France odds. Nevertheless, bettors also must recognize that he is returning from a fairly long retirement and may not be the same racer he was when he last won the Tour in 2005. In other words, evaluating Armstrong’s 2009 Tour de France odds will require analyzing a variety of factors, but wagering on him simply because he is American would clearly mean one has not considered the truly relevant factors very carefully.

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