Are you like me? Do you think betting on sports makes things a bit more interesting? No? Well, you’re wrong. It does. Let’s say you’re watching a football game between the Browns and Rams. Unless you’re a fan of one of the two, most people don’t care about the result, right? Well, put $50 on it. Now what?

Throughout every individual sport’s season, there are all kinds of games that don’t matter to a casual fan. But once the chance to win some money enters the equation, suddenly an all new interest becomes apparent. Think about the Super Bowl. The boxes get passed around the office and even the people who think the Lakers played the Yankees in the Stanley Cup Finals last year are scribbling their name into three or four empty slots. They’re dropping $20 or so, on a game they don’t know the first thing about, in the hopes of winning a couple of Franklins. NCAA tournament time is another great example. I don’t follow college hoops all that closely, but year in and year out, I’m filling out at least one bracket! Between all the boxes, brackets, pools and, who could forget, fantasy sports, a little wager makes watching the game(s) all the more interesting.

However, some of the greatest wagers you’ll find come from Vegas around Super Bowl time. Fun, out of the ordinary bets such as, “Will the Colts and Saints combine for more points than the New Jersey Nets?” or “Will Kobe Bryant outscore the Colts?” or “What color hat will Peyton Manning wear on the sideline, blue or white?” Some of these bets have almost nothing to do with the game, but they simply provide some fun to either a fan or non-fan. It gives everyone at least a bit of a reason to tune in.

Sparked by the return of Tiger, some of these off-beat wagers are now becoming popular in the golf betting world. According to Bodog Sportsbook Manager Richard Gardner, betting on the Masters has doubled from last year. Included in all of those extra wagers are not only the old “Who will win The Masters?” and “Where will Tiger Woods finish?” Now we’re seeing wagers a little more, dare I say, fun? Let’s take a look at some examples:

What color hat will Tiger Woods wear in Round 1?

Black 5/4
White 7/4
Red 7/2
Blue 11/2
Any Other Color 8/1

Will Tiger Woods be Heckled after Addressing the Ball and Step Away?
Yes -120
No -120

Will Elin Nordgren be Seen on Camera?

I hope you already placed your wager on this one since Tiger has already given away the answer.

Will Tiger Woods cry during his acceptance speech if he wins?

Yes -120
No -120

Thank goodness for the world of sports gambling. Without it, for many people who aren’t all that interested in the PGA Tour and have lost interest in the Ringling Brothers & Tiger Woods circus, this is just another golf tournament. But for people who partake in the gambling side of things…there’s more to it than the tournament itself. There’s the prospect of winning (or losing) some money. There’s the idea of looking at things in the tournament that, normally, you would pay little to no attention. And the PGA should be happy also, as this brings in more viewers who normally may not have paid any mind.

Don’t get me wrong, the amount of wagers is not exactly approaching Super Bowl standards. But to have the amount of wagers double, that alone shows, thanks to Tiger, the amount of interest generated for this years Masters. Me personally, I never do much more than quickly peek in to see what’s going on. This year will likely be no different. Although, I’ll most likely be peeking in with the hopes Tiger dons a red hat on day 1.