Football betting has come a long way from its humble beginnings of friendly bets at the pub. From regulated bookmakers to the evolution of online sports betting, this article will review how football betting has evolved over the years, giving you a first-hand glimpse into football betting history.
While football betting is popular all around the globe, it is still restricted in some places. In countries and regions where wagering on sports is limited, many fans turn to offshore international sites to place their wagers. Author and expert Jaehyeong Park shares his 해외배팅사이트 추천, noting that interest in international betting sites has reached a peak recently. This makes sense, as the number of football fans globally is also skyrocketing.
Let’s get into the history of football betting, starting at the beginning.
Humble Beginnings
Football betting started like many other sports betting, among friends, wagering on their favorite teams. It took a normal Sunday game to new exciting heights. This type of football betting was not regulated and generally was more for fun than anything formal.
Late 19th Century
As football betting became increasingly popular, it made sense for bookmakers to start taking on bets themselves, fixing the odds, and making sports betting more legitimate. Now it wasn’t only friendly wagers, but more of a gambling experience where one could make some serious money.
20th Century
Once bookmakers began, there was no slowing football betting down, meaning governments had to hop on board if they wanted to regulate sports betting. Many countries legalized football betting, with legitimate betting stores opening across the globe. The mid-20th century also saw the start of spread betting, meaning it wasn’t only a win-or-lose scenario, making football betting much more appealing.
As TVs became more widespread in the 70s, jumping from 65% of US households owning a TV in 1955 to 95% in 1970 according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, so did the media’s reporting on sports events. Rather than being glued to the radio, fans could now watch their favorite football teams live without heading to the stadium halfway across the world. This took football betting to new heights, with football growing in popularity worldwide, increasing the bets placed on each game.
21st Century
The internet boom of the 1990s saw the entire sports betting world turn on its head. Online gambling and sports betting now meant that one could bet and wager from the comfort of their own home while researching the odds quickly.
We remain in this fast-paced and exciting time in football betting history, with new technology like AI and VR taking the entire sports betting world by storm.
The internet has brought us into a completely new football betting age, along with cryptocurrencies changing the game. Crypto betting has made things faster and more secure than ever before.
With constant waves of new information, keeping up to date with the latest in football betting can be difficult. To keep things simple, SPGN hosts an informative soccer gambling podcast, keeping you in the loop with the latest football betting updates. Check out the latest UEFA Euro 2024 Matchday 1, with a breakdown of what’s to come.