I am seeing lots of responses here and I have always thought that anyone who is a lover of sports should have sports betting as his first choice of gambling game, I guess I am wrong here. Well, I will choose sports betting here because I love the feeling that comes with analysing a particular match, especially if the analysis is done with friends. The fun, laughter, anxiety, suspense and the game itself spices up every moment. Losing effortlessly as seen in casino games doesn't seem like fun.
That is actually fun when you can analyze together with your friends. I can do that but I chose not to because these friends of mine who are also gamblers chooses to stay alone with their analysis but they're too kind to share it once they have figured it out. It's true that it's a different experience with the laughter together with them because that changes the perspective about gambling should be serious. But we can make it fun in our own different ways like what you are doing with your friends, some circle of friends might do it after reading what you said.
If those people you call friends are truly your friends, they will not see any big deal with analysing games. Sometimes it doesn't have to do with money, friends can just discuss clubs, teams, players, their form, injuries, transfers, who has the most ability and who does not. This are the normal discussions friends who are enthusiastic about sports do have. When it involves analysing to win a bet, it is still supposed to be a fun thing. Real friends help each other. I admire if alot when friends analyse bets together, laugh over their losses and celebrate their wins together. Those are the major highlights for me. Reason I am choose sports betting over casino games.