If there is one thing that can be said about the UK, it would be that sports fans are among the most loyal of anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter what sport anyone mentions, there is sure to be a devoted fan somewhere in the room. With this in mind, it’s only understandable that fans like to wager a quid or two on the next match, game, or race.
Sports betting is actually huge in the UK and in the year 2020, betting on and off course totalled over £14 billion. Wouldn’t you like to know what part of that money went to each sport? We may not be able to tally that, but what you can do is take a look at the most popular sports to bet on in the UK and you can fairly well imagine which got the biggest chunk.
Are Horses Still in the Lead?
There was a time when horses were in the lead, no pun intended, in the world of sports betting. It isn’t quite clear why the amount of money bet on the horses each year has dwindled within the past 12 months, but some blame the pandemic on a lack of enthusiasm for being in crowded areas. Even with that in mind, betting on the horses still nets about £1 billion a year in the UK and that’s a hefty portion of that £14 billion total bet on all sports combined.
When you have the Queen herself as a proud owner of racing stock, you can imagine just how culturally ingrained horse racing is in the UK. Although the main priority of Queen Elizabeth II is breeding thoroughbreds, she does enjoy a national tournament now and again as do many of the nation’s elite.
Where Bets Are Placed
Before looking at other sports, it’s important to say a word about the migration of placing live bets at the course to placing sports bets at casinos online. There is a school of thought that links the growing number of sports bets placed online to never-ending surges of new variants of Covid-19. However, there are other reasons besides avoiding crowds which are attracting sports fans to online betting.
One of the main reasons why sports fans are choosing to place their bets online is because they can get welcome bonuses for joining many of the online casinos frequented by UK sports fans. This site, OnlineCasinos, gives a comprehensive list of casinos online and a brief summary of what bonuses are available. By listing all the most popular OnlineCasinos that offer sports betting, a fan need go no further than the sofa in front of the television they will watch the event on. Comfort is a key advantage that attracts so many fans to wagering online.
Who Can Forget Football?
When it comes to favourite sports and sports betting in the UK, football is always at the top of the list. Literally millions of fans travel to see games live each year and if they can’t catch the action at the field, they will be planted solidly in front of the television to watch their club in action. UK fans are the best informed of any nation on earth when it comes to knowing who is being traded and which players are most likely to be signed for the coming season.
The reason why there is so much controversy as to which sport holds the number one rank among fans is because of the amount of money placed on bets each year. Similar to horseracing, at least £1 billion is wagered on football every year. That, in itself, should tell you just how popular both sports are.
Tennis Sees a Fair Share of Sports Bets
What can be said about the popularity of tennis when there are four major matches that see fans glued to the television or at the match if they are lucky enough to ‘win’ a seat at the event? The closer it gets to the date of tournaments such as Wimbledon, the US Open, the Australian Open and the French Open, the harder it is to find a ticket to view the event up close and personal.
A word should be said here about the emergence of AI in the world of sports betting and never has Artificial Intelligence been more beneficial to the punters wagering on play-by-play activity. Yes, AI is providing a huge advantage in football and other sports, but tennis has found a huge fan base because computers think faster than those players bounce around the court! Can you see how advantageous that would be when wagering throughout a match?
An Eye on US Sports
Another popular sports betting platform would be anything and everything played in the United States. While American football is radically different from the game played throughout the rest of the world, it is one sport that fans can’t resist betting on. Then there’s MMA matches, wrestling, boxing, and a whole host of other sports where bets are placed daily.
When Is a Sport Not a Sport?
One final note to leave you with is the way in which the National Lottery has earned a big portion of the bets throughout the UK. No, the lottery isn’t a sporting event but rather a game of chance. As with any of the online casino games, millions of people in the UK place regular ‘bets’ whenever they choose to buy a ticket.
Unfortunately, although there are huge jackpots the likes of which casinos can never boast, the lottery is infinitely more difficult to win. This is one of the reasons why so many sports fans take a chance on their favourite players, teams and even horses! If you know the history of the player, club, or trainer you are wagering on, it’s an easier way to venture a guess on who the winner will be. Sports betting will continue to be strong in the UK so there is no worry that the next big win might one day be yours.
