Last updated on April 12th, 2023
Tennis Betting in New Jersey
While the sport of tennis has been popular for some time in the US, tennis betting is something that has only come to rise in the last several years. The main reason for this is that, since around 2017 onwards, there has been an explosion of online sportsbook operators setting up shop in the country. The state of New Jersey has been at the forefront of this expansion and is now the state with the most registered online bookmakers in the entire country. That means you’ll have a great selection of online sportsbooks to bet with to ensure you get the best possible tennis betting experience. If you’re new to the world of tennis betting, there will be much that you may not understand. Luckily, our tennis experts have put together this comprehensive guide to tell you everything you need to know about betting on tennis.
Top Sports Bookmakers for Betting Tennis
With so many online bookmakers to choose from in New Jersey, it should be easy enough to pick one to bet with. However, too much choice can sometimes be a negative and that’s why our tennis betting experts have listed their top sports bookmakers below.
- Caesars
- BetMGM
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- Unibet
- BetRivers
All of the above bookmakers will provide their own, unique online tennis betting experience. Whether it be from the design of their app or website , its ease of use, the offers and promotions and even the odds, all will have something to offer.
The first thing you should consider before betting with a bookmaker is their welcome offer. If you shop around, you’ll be able to ensure you get the best welcome bonus for you. As a guide, there are several bookmakers that give new customers the chance to land $1,000 or more in free bets.
How to Bet in Tennis
If you’re not sure how to place a bet on tennis, then fear not, we’ll explain it all right here. Tennis betting is very easy to get to grips with, here’s how to do it:
- Go to the betting app or website of your choice
- Navigate to the tennis betting section (this may be in the A-Z sports list)
- Find the match you want to bet on from the list
- Select the market you want to bet on to put it into your betslip
- Go to your betslip and enter your wager amount
- When ready, click “place bet” and wait for confirmation
Depending on the bookmaker you’re betting with and the competition you’re betting on, you may even be able to live stream the action once you’ve placed your wagers.
Which Markets to Bet in Tennis in New Jersey
When betting on tennis in New Jersey, you may find a wide selection of markets, depending on the bookmaker website you’re using. Here are some of the most common tennis betting markets you’ll find online:
- Match winner – a straight up bet on which player will win the match (this includes any final tiebreakers)
- Set betting – this is a bet on the final score of the match, by predicting the scores of all sets
- Set winner – backing a player to win a particular set in the match
- Totals (over/under) – a bet on the total amount of games in a match, over or under an amount designated by the bookmaker
- Set spread – a set handicap on a player to win by a specified margin
Markets to Bet Tennis around the World
Tennis is a truly international sport and, as such, you can pretty much bet on it all over the globe. Some of the common betting markets that you’re likely to encounter around the world include:
- First/second/third set correct score
- Total sets (over/under)
- Win match & both players to win a set
- Total aces (over/under)
Mostly, player prop bets are more prominent in countries like the UK and across Europe. Given that the majority of tennis games are two individuals, it makes sense that bets relating to the stats of one player or another are particularly popular.
Glossary in Betting on Tennis
If you’re a tennis betting newbie, or a veteran as experienced as John McEnroe, there may be some terms you see or hear that you just don’t understand. That’s why our tennis experts have put together this extensive glossary, so you can quickly and easily find the definitions for some of the sport’s most commonly used lingo.
A
Ace – a serve that lands in play and is not returned by an opponent.
Advantage – when the scores are level at 40-40 (“deuce”) the next point is known as “advantage”. If the player then goes to win the following point, they win the game.
ATP – acronym for the “Association of Tennis Professionals” the governing body of men’s tennis.
B
Backhand – a type of tennis shot in which the player hits the ball with the back of their hand facing outwards.
Bagel – when a player wins a set 6-0.
C
Challenge – when a player does not agree with the umpire’s decision, they are entitled to challenge it. The ability to challenge is usually only available in Grand Slams and other major tournaments.
Clay – one of three surfaces that tennis can be played on. The French Open is the most well-known competition played on clay.
Crosscourt – a shot that is hit diagonally across the court.
D
Deuce – the term used when players are locked at a score of 40-40 in a game.
Double bagel – winning a match 6-0, 6-0 in a two set match.
Double fault – when a player serves two consecutive faults. The opposing player is awarded a point.
Drop shot – a delicate shot that is played to drop just over the net on the opposite player’s half of the court.
E
Exhibition – a non-competitive game played purely to entertain fans.
F
Fault – a serve that does not land in the designated box of the opponent’s half of the court.
Forehand – a shot in which the palm of the player’s hand is facing outwards.
G
Game – a game is a sequence of points in which one player serves to another.
Game point – one point away from winning a game.
Golden Slam – winning the Grand Slam and an Olympic gold medal in one calendar year.
Grand Slam – one of the big four major tennis tournaments in a season.
Grass court – one of the three surfaces that tennis is played on. The most notable grass surface is of course Wimbledon.
H
Half volley – a shot that is played immediately after the ball bounces off of the ground.
Hawk-Eye – a piece of high tech software that detects the path of the ball. It is utilized in all four of the Grand Slam tournaments.
Hold – when a player wins the game in which they are serving.
I
ITF – an acronym for the International Tennis Federation, tennis’ international governing body.
J
Jam – when a player hits the ball directly at their opponent.
K
Kick serve – a type of serve with lots of spin on the ball, making it “kick” when it hits the ground.
L
Let – when a serve hits the net and lands in the receiver’s service box, the umpire calls a “let”. The serving player is allowed another attempt at a serve.
Lob – a type of play in which a player loops the ball over an opponent’s head.
Love – an unusual term to refer to a score of zero in a game.
M
Match point – a term used for when a player is just a single point from winning the match.
Mixed doubles – a doubles match in which each team consists of one man and one woman.
N
New balls – every seven games, the umpire will call for “new balls”. When this occurs, all balls in the game are replaced with brand new ones.
O
On serve – a set is “on serve” when both players have won all of their service games.
Out – when the ball lands outside of the designated lines of play in the court.
Overhead – a play in which a player hits the ball while it’s over their head.
Overrule – when the umpire reverses a call made by one of the line judges.
P
Point – the period of play between a serve and the ball going out of play.
R
Rally – a series of shots exchanged between players for an extended period of time.
Receiver – the player awaiting the serve from their opponent.
Retirement – if a player cannot continue with a match, they must retire.
Return – to hit the ball back into the opponent’s half of the court.
S
Serve – the beginning of each point of a game.
Serve and volley – a tactic in which the serving player rushes to the net to smother the opponent’s return.
Set – a period of the match which opponents race to six or seven games.
Set betting – betting on the correct scores of each set of a match.
Set point – when a player is just a single point away from winning a set.
Slice – a type of shot that puts lots of backspin on the ball, usually employed as a defensive tactic.
Smash – an overhead shot that is hit with a lot of power.
Straight sets – when a player wins a match without losing a set.
T
Tie-break – when the players cannot be separated by breaking one another’s serves, the set goes to a tie-breaker.
Totals – bets on the amount of games, sets in a match (over/under a certain amount).
Toss – the act of throwing the ball into the air to serve to an opponent.
Tweener – a trick shot in which a player hits the ball between their legs with their back to the opponent.
U
Umpire – the person responsible for enforcing the rules of a match.
Unforced error – a mistake from a player to concede a point that was the result of bad play rather than anything the opponent did.
V
Volley – to hit the ball before it has bounced on the ground.
W
Walkover – when a player withdraws before play has started, their opponent is awarded a walkover into the next round.
Wildcard – a player that has not qualified for a tournament through ranking.
Winner – a shot that wins the point for a player.
WTA – an acronym for the Women’s Tennis Association, the governing body of women’s tennis.