Lesser-Known Sports that Get Attention at Online Sportsbooks

Last Updated on July 21, 2025

The spectacular thing about online sports betting is that it casts a much wider net than land-based bookies. The reason online sportsbooks can afford to do something like that is because they have fans from all over the world. That means there is a much larger diversity of interests than land-based shops, that must cater to their local customers.

Of course, online sportsbooks do cover all of the most popular sports you can imagine. Football and basketball are staples at the Novibet online betting platform. But, for those who wish to delve just a bit deeper, there are plenty of other options to choose from. In this article, we are focusing on some lesser-known sports that get attention at online sportsbooks.

Darts

Darts is at the top of the list. Most people may not even realize that there is a worldwide darts competition. Professional darts players may have success in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. But, most of the rest of the world is unaware that professional darts even exists. Well, online sportsbooks are starting to change that.

By covering the latest darts competitions, bookmakers have elevated the popularity of the sport, almost single-handedly. Today, professional darts is more popular than it has ever been before. The sport is growing a large following in the United States, which is good because the USA has one of the largest online sports betting markets in the world.

Water Polo

Water sports are often overlooked. Most people are familiar with competitive swimming, of course. But, water polo gets a raw deal in terms of popularity. Which is a shame, because the sport can get quite exciting. It has a pretty large following in Germany, Austria, Croatia, and Serbia. But, other markets just don’t seem to have much interest in it.

Yet, water polo has popped off at online sportsbooks. The coverage that water polo gets online is pretty intense, considering its popularity outside of betting. Like with darts, the attention the sport receives at online sportsbooks helps get more people interested in the games themselves. Recently, water polo’s popularity has grown by a pretty large margin. Who knows, maybe in ten years it will rival volleyball.

eSports

It is tough to include something like eSports on this list. For one, eSports is the fastest-growing market in the world of sports betting. Not only that, but the popularity of the phenomenon is greater now than ever before. Yet, it is hard to say that the average person follows eSports, or even knows what the word may refer to. For those who don’t know, eSports is another word for competitive gaming.

The eSports betting market has exceeded all expectations at online sportsbooks. Games like League of Legends and Fortnite are especially successful. However, even lesser-known games are getting the attention of the big-name titles. It seems gamers are very invested in betting on their hobby. There are even talks of legitimizing eSports as a sport proper. Whether that happens any time soon remains to be seen. What is certain is that eSports have a long future in sports betting.