When thinking about gambling, many people automatically think about the obvious types of betting such as football, tennis, and horse racing but the truth is that online casinos earn their money from a variety of betting opportunities.
Online casinos that offer a range of games expect to maintain a healthy business by attracting all kinds of players and generating an even spread of wagers – both large and small. One way that they achieve this is by offering sports betting and the industry is a good example of how gambling can be used to fund other forms of betting.
The Growth Of Online Casino Sports Betting
When you compare the sports betting markets of the 1980s to those of the 2010s, the size of the markets has increased by leaps and bounds.
Back in the early days of online casinos, sports betting was a rare offering and when it did exist it was typically found as an afterthought – an addition to a site predominantly focused on drawing in players with slot machines and tables.
Nowadays, any decent online casino will offer a variety of sports books so that player can bet on just about any sporting event they can think of.
The Major Sports That People Bet On
The U.S. is a huge market for sports betters and the vast majority of internet users are constantly searching for ways to bet on sporting events.
From the humble beginnings of the Super Bowl to the modern-day obsession with prop bets and over/under wagers, sports betting has come a long way. If you want to follow the latest news stories or find detailed analysis of sporting events, all you need to do is type “sports betting” into your favorite search engine and you’ll be presented with dozens — if not hundreds — of online gambling stories.
Where Do Online Casino Sports Betting Perform Best?
Looking at win rates is one good way to measure the success of an online sports book and the answer is pretty straightforward. Naturally, one would assume that since sports betting is all about risk and reward, the best place to invest would be in the most popular leagues with the highest profile games.
However, things are not always as they seem and the numbers don’t always add up. Take the English Premier League for example, which has a huge following around the world thanks to its top-level football and vibrant atmosphere but very few people would put money on Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur to win the league.
One explanation for this phenomenon is that the majority of people who follow the EPL are not from England, they are from countries like Germany and Spain, where soccer is a more popular sport. As a result, the pool of potential bettors is much larger and therefore, the chances of picking a winning team are higher. Similar examples can be found across all major sports.
The Growth Of Mobile Sports Betting
Thanks to the ever-increasing reach of smartphones, people are able to enjoy sports betting wherever they are. Thanks to apps such as “Betting Tips” and “Paddy Power Android”, which were both launched in 2016, mobile sports betting has exploded.
Even if you don’t play sports, you’ll almost certainly use apps to place bets on the outcome of sporting events. After all, it’s much easier to use your phone to place a bet on a game that’s being played somewhere else rather than try to follow the action live while watching a sporting event on TV.
As with all forms of gambling, the appetite for mobile sports betting seems to be limitless and it’s likely that we’ll soon see an entire generation of digitally connected sports betters.
The Rise Of Online Casino Poker
Although most people think of online casinos when it comes to betting, poker is also a popular option among players. Thanks to the increasing popularity of online dating and the boom in mobile banking, it’s become much easier for people to fund their poker accounts through bets placed in other games or sports.
If you’re looking for a way to enjoy a game of poker without leaving your home, all you need to do is download an app. There are hundreds of options out there, all of which offer a variety of tables with different games and stakes. Even better, you’ll often find promotions where you can win real world prizes just for playing.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the surge in online casino poker has been 888 Holdings, whose shares rose 16% last year alone as a result of the growing popularity of the game. The company runs some of the most popular online poker sites and their success shows how quickly the industry has embraced the popularity of online gambling.
The Growth Of eSports
Last but not least, we have eSports, or competitive gaming. Much like traditional sports, eSports enjoys a massive following around the world and it’s often touted as the “Sports of the Future” due to its combination of digital and physical activity.
It’s no secret that competitive gaming can be a lucrative industry, with gamers often competing for millions of dollars in prize pools and tournament winnings.
The boom in eSports has meant that there are now hundreds — if not thousands — of “professional” gamers across the globe who are able to make a living playing video games. Much like traditional sports, eSports is sometimes dominated by men but that’s changing and more and more women are finding success in the gaming world.
To follow the latest eSports news or find detailed analysis of games, all you need to do is enter the keywords “eSports” and “video game” into your favorite search engine. You’ll be presented with a whole universe of news stories, analysis pieces, and event results from around the world. It’s an exciting time to be a sports or video game fan.
Whether you consider yourself a sports fan or an enthusiast of some other game, it’s important to remember that all kinds of gambling exist to make money — even when you aren’t aware of it. You may enjoy placing bets on sporting events but the business of sports betting is still built on wagering and in some cases, illegal betting. To keep up with the latest trends in gambling as they develop, follow our blog for the latest industry news and analysis.