While several sports and leagues are in off-season during the summer, others are offering pre-season events or tournaments that fill the summer lull. They provide lots of wagering opportunities at the sportsbooks, with plenty of cool promotional offers to calm the heat of the season.
This article covers the latest betting trends for the top sports in summer 2025. Find out what everyone is betting on and join in on the action.
NFL Preseason
The NFL Preseason is one of the hottest events during the summer. This is the short series of exhibition games that takes place before the main season starts, and typically holds in August. The latest trend here is betting on the underdog. Information isn’t tightly controlled and odds aren’t as sharp as during the regular season. So there’s lots of wagering value if you know how to spot a dark horse. SportyTrader experts rank the top promo codes on the market, and there’s an offer for new sign ups on DraftKings that’ll help boost your NFL preseason bets.
Golf
With its leisurely pace and the PGA Tour being in full swing during the summer months, Golf is the perfect summer sport. Moreover, the FedEx Cup happens right at the peak of the season, which causes a spike in betting activity. The current trend is betting on live, shot-by-shot markets, for example, “Will the next shot land on the green?” “Will the putt be holed or missed?” These markets are popular because they offer instant results.
UFC
UFC fights can be scheduled at any time of the year, but summer fight cards tend to pack extra punch. 2025 includes some blockbuster main events like UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev and even highly anticipated co-main bouts like Ortega vs Sterling at the UFC Fight Night 257 in Shanghai. Bettors are moving beyond just betting on who will be the winner. Instead, there’s an increased interest in the method of victory markets. Round betting is also a popular go-to, especially in main events where fighters are known for early finishes.
Tennis Tournaments
With multiple major tournaments available during the summer, tennis markets are busy at the sportsbook. Tennis is naturally suited for live betting given the constant real-time odds shifts with every point. As a result, in-play wagering is widespread. Moreover, the summer heat is often extreme, and with star players looking to conserve their energy, there’s been a surge in upsets. So more and more bettors are taking advantage of underdog value.
Some other trends driving the summer market include mobile betting and AI-powered betting tools. There’s lots of fun to be had when you wager from your mobile devices, not to mention the convenience it offers. AI-powered tools are also helping bettors make more accurate predictions, both pre-game and in real time. Besides the betting trends, you can always count on sports like Golf, the UFC, tennis and the NFL Preseason to keep the betting scene vibrant in the summer.
