Handball Betting and Odds at NetBet Sport

Handball is a much older game than you realise. There is evidence that Roman women played a game called expulsim ludere, which is not a spell from Harry Potter, even though it sounds like one. A version of the game was also played by the Inuit in Greenland and was very popular in Medieval France. Now, it is played all around the world, and that is no surprise. It is one of the most fast-paced, high-scoring and heart-stopping games ever played. And now, thanks to NetBet Sport, handball betting has never been easier.

Handball is essentially a combination of three sports – football, basketball and ice hockey. For the football element, things are essentially reversed. Instead of being the only player in soccer who can handle the ball, the goalkeeper in handball is the only one allowed to kick it. Other players can either hold on to the ball for three seconds or take three steps (as in basketball), or they must dribble. Finally, borrowed from ice hockey is the rule that there is no limit on the amount of substitutions that can be made. Seven players at a time (from a team of usually 14) take to the pitch and can come on and off whenever they feel a change is needed.

Feet off the Floor

It’s near the goal where things get interesting. On every handball court, there is a six-metre wide area known as the D-Zone. Only the goalkeeper is permitted to stand in this area. If any other player, attacker or defender, sets foot in this zone, there is a penalty. However, if you are in the air over this zone, for example having made a mighty leap toward the keeper, then you are free to keep attacking. This leads to some stunning acrobatics, as players contort themselves in the air to get themselves into a throwing position. The keepers are capable of similarly gymnastic displays. With both arms in the air already, they will often throw a leg straight up in the air to block an incoming ball or perform a full split to stop a shot passing under them.

Penalties are equally impressive. As in football, these are between the goalie and the shot-taker alone. Because the shot-taker is throwing the ball instead of kicking it, they are more in control of the ball. In addition, because the game is played indoors on a wooden court, it is possible to throw the ball with back or side-spin on it, which gives more options for getting around a keeper. The keepers themselves need to be flexible and quick-witted, leaping into the air to fill as much of the space in front of the goal as they can, flinging limbs out in all directions to attempt to block shots. The shots can come from any direction and any speed. Blistering long-range cannonballs like the kind a baseball player might unleash; cheeky lobs over the top like a top-flight footballer; or complex, twisting, feinting shots that would not look out of place at a Slam Dunk competition.

Legends of the Game

All sports have their legends, and in Handball’s case, Jackson Richardson is one of them. This French player had a 15-year career, with 400 caps for his national team and a string of successful club teams around the world, from Spain to the USA. To give an idea of the regard in which he was held, he was the flag-carrier for the French team at the opening ceremony for the Athens Olympics.

If Jackson was the Ronaldo of Handball, Ivano Balić was its Pele. The Croatian has more titles and accolades than anyone else in the sport, with Olympic Gold and Bronze medals from Athens and London, respectively, and one of only four people to be twice named IHF World Player of the Year. Early in his career, Balić signed with San Antonio in Texas just for the opportunity to play alongside Jackson and when Balić retired from the sport in 2013, Jackson returned the favour, making the trip to Croatia to congratulate his teammate on a stunning career.

Longshots and High Scores

Handball betting offers some amazing opportunities. Because it is played almost everywhere in the world, there is always a game going on somewhere. And due to the fast-paced nature of the game, each match is usually a high-scoring affair, with between 20-35 goals scored on average per game. This means that there is a huge amount of action to get involved with.

If you’re a fan of a longshot, then Handball is definitely the game for you. Take the Champions League for football. The biggest odds you’ll find for any team to win outright are 1000-1. With Handball betting, some of the odds on outsiders can reach all the way to 4000-1. There are plenty of tournaments for you to bet on too, both at team and international level. There are the World and European Championships, which are held every two years. The Olympics is also a huge stage for Handball betting, having been introduced as a sport in 1972.

For domestic tournaments, the biggest is the EHF Champions League, which runs from September until June every year. As in football, the 28 biggest teams from around Europe face off in a huge tournament. Like any great sport, there are pages and pages of facts, figures and statistics that you can get into to make the most of your Handball betting.

There is a new development that will give you further opportunities for Handball betting. Beach Handball has just been debuted as a sport at the World Youth Games, held in Argentina. If anything, this has the potential to make the game even more exciting, as players can throw themselves into the air knowing that they’ll have a much softer landing on sand rather than wood.