For centuries people have gambled on the outcome of events. This has included everyone from games of chance in Ancient China to the early episodes of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. The United Kingdom is widely regarded as the birthplace of legalised sports betting when moving the practice of gambling from underground to licenced, legal and regulated betting offices. In the 1960s, sports fans in the UK were, for the first time, able to legally gamble on the outcome of horse races, boxing bouts, soccer matches and more. These wagers were placed at high street betting offices or racetracks, and the practice continues today.
Many nations worldwide have followed the blueprint for legalised betting invented in England. Canada has enjoyed a long-running love affair with betting, but we’ve only recently seen the rules relaxed, allowing different types of bets to be placed on a range of sports and competitions. California sportsbooks aren’t yet legal, but following the Whitehouse’s removal of the blanket ban on betting, many states reacted by allowing residents and visitors to bet. This opened the door for the most famous names in the industry to target new customers in the United States.
The gambling industry is packed with interesting facts, and we have chosen five of our favourites. These points will amaze and surprise you. The industry continues to evolve, with more bets placed every day using smartphone apps than on websites and betting offices combined. The sports we love to bet on remain the same, but how we make our predictions have changed. Read on for our five interesting facts about sports betting. Remember, the more you know about an industry, the more success you’ll have when using it.
December is the most popular month for betting
When tallying up the bets placed month by month, December is the time when most bets are placed. This isn’t surprising as many people enjoy a break from work during the festive period and the sports schedule is at its busiest during December. Schedulers screen more matches during the final month of the year while promoters put on sports events aimed at targeting groups enjoying a Christmas night out with workmates, friends and family.
The biggest bets come from the US
Pound for pound – or should that be dollar for dollar – bettors place the biggest stakes on average in the USA. These bets are placed on popular sports, including horse racing, football, basketball, ice hockey and baseball. Not every state in the US allows sports betting, but it has already proven to be a huge success in the regions that do it.
20% of people bet on sports
A recent study showed around 20% of the world’s population have placed at least one bet on sport during their lifetime. This takes into account gambles made at betting offices, on websites or using gambling apps. That number is expected to rise further as more people in America are permitted to gamble on sports.
Soccer is the most popular sport to bet on
Horse racing was the number one sport to bet on for many years, but that has changed. Soccer is now the darling of sports bettors with gambles made on the club and international competitions, including the World Cup, Champions League and African Nations. The English Premier League is the most bet on and most-watched soccer competition on the planet.
There is no strategy that guarantees a win
If you are new to sports betting, you may have noticed mention of full proof betting strategies that will help you beat the bookies every time you gamble. In many cases, these claims can be found on social media, but they are completely false. There is no guaranteed win or perfect betting strategy, so don’t waste your time and money looking for one. Many people have tried and found out the hard way that it’s a myth or a scam.
There is one way you can improve your chances of making a winning bet, and that’s research. The more research you do before betting on a sports fixture, the more success you will have. Study form, browse the markets and get the best odds on every gamble you place. There is no such thing as doing too much research into your picks.