What is Sports Betting and Why Has it Become So Popular?
One of the most interesting forms of betting is known as sports betting. Differentiating itself from the lucrative world of brick-and-mortar casinos and typical online gambling such as Blackjack or Baccarat, sports betting has developed into one of the most popular sporting avenues to date. With countless games streaming over millions of platforms daily, it is a highly accessible form of betting for punters with low and high budgets.
For some, sports betting is still a relatively new area of risk-taking, leaving many to avoid it and stick to what they know, often simply real casinos or otherwise, online gaming. Understanding the enjoyment, ease and simplicity that come with sports betting would most likely convince even the least sports-interested punter and cynic to hop on the bandwagon.
The idea of this article is to outline what sports betting is, offer ideas for its rise in popularity and give a better understanding for anyone who does not know this specific sports gambling process.
What is Sports Betting?
With some of the best payout online casinos in Canada and other countries, sports betting is a highly interesting gambling form, with countless sports events like baseball, ice hockey and basketball games occurring nearly daily.
Sports betting is the act of predicting the outcome of a sports event and placing a bet on that specific outcome. Anyone can place a bet, it is only important for punters to ensure that they are placing bets through legal establishments and that the act of sports betting is legal in their state. The punter simply puts down a wager through a sports book or with a bookie directly and then waits to see the outcome. If the punter loses, the money is lost, if the punter wins, then the bookie issues the amount won to the punter and it’s as simple as that.
There are two parties involved in a bet. The punters, the people placing the bet and then the bookies, the people who take the bet. The bookie can be replaced by a sports book which can also be found in real casinos, for example. The act of placing a wager on a specific sport, such as horse riding or hockey, is then the step that makes the bet a reality.
Why Has Sports Betting Become So Popular?
For a myriad of reasons. One major standout is the rise and development of technology.
The advancement in software and programs has allowed sports betting sites to attract a much larger pool of interested punters. One such upgrade is microbetting, a revolutionary form of betting. Before, punters were often only able to bet on the result of a game, a win or loss. Now, they can bet on small happenings, hence the name, ‘micro’ in microbetting. This is an exciting change, as interested bettors can now place bets on momentary game happenings, such as if a penalty will be scored, if a try will be made or if a corner will lead to a goal. The only reason this is possible is because technology now allows spectators to watch live games and is good enough to support instant bets.
The rise in technology has also given way to an increased interest in sports. Players are now more captivated by NBA players as they can play with them on PlayStation, so they feel more connected to the world of basketball. Similarly, people have become more invested in the outcome of, for example, the Premier League as people use these professional athletes to play on FIFA, resulting in them having more interest in the strengths, weaknesses and changes within the athletes. Online games, such as Nintendo or Xbox, have furthered people’s interest in sports, created an emotional bond between online gamers and professional athletes and, as a result, led punters to an increased interest in betting on athletes’ real-life sports actions.
