I also clearly prefer sports betting to classic games such as slots and so on. This is simply because I have a bit more control with sports betting and it's actually my fault if a bet goes wrong. Also, as you rightly write, with a little preparation (game studies, etc.) you can definitely get more out of your money. However, this only works if you are familiar with the respective sport and league. Wildly betting on any games (or purely according to odds) is otherwise more akin to gambling.

That's why I think it's a great campaign by icopress and whale.io to hand out free bets on sports games!