Over the last few years, the number of bets on major sporting events has skyrocketed. Millions more wagers are struck every week as the trend continues and the public’s love affair with gambling grows ever stronger. The best sports betting sites accept new players daily, offering more generous welcome bonuses and promotions, including free bets.
This surge in betting can be explained in a few different ways with an increase in the number of gambling apps available and the countries that have legalised online gambling. The United States famously scrapped their long-running and often controversial ban on betting in 2018, opening the door for states like New Jersey to take advantage and permit both residents and visitors to bet.
There’s more to bet on
There has also been a change to the betting rules in Canada where players can wager on more markets on the same fixture or place multiple bets, including parlays across many different sports fixtures. Add to this the conveyor belt of new players reaching the legal age of gambling and a population that is living longer, and we begin to get an answer to why more bets are being placed. But there’s still more to it than that.
More markets are also available for the best of traditional sports, including American Football, soccer, horse racing, tennis and boxing. Traders offer over 100 pre-match markets on any fixture from the English Premier League, including match winner, both teams to score and totals over/under. In-play betting allows followers to place bets on games that have already begun, with many of the original markets remaining live throughout the 90 minutes with odds updated to reflect the score and flow of play.
There are hundreds of more markets available on every game from the EPL – both pre-match and live – than we’ve seen before. Now multiply that by the top leagues and competitions from across the globe, including everything from the Champions League to the Scottish Premiership and add other sports competitions such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, UFC and MLB. We now begin to get a clear idea of what’s going on and why.
Esports plays a part
It’s not just traditional sports people are betting on. There are some new, modern and trendy options that weren’t available to the previous generation of gamblers. Take esports, for example. This has grown in popularity since 2020, with bookies pushing fixtures from the top competitions and leagues as the best esports players compete on the most famous titles, including DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
You can wager on professional gaming at the touch of a button and then watch the play on your desktop computer at home or smartphone when on the move, thanks to an HD quality live stream. This is often available free of charge if you bet on the outcome. Join an online betting app that is legal in your country, and you will notice that there is always an exciting fixture about to begin.
Apps make it easier
The final and arguably most important piece of the puzzle is smartphones’ influence on the gambling industry. In years gone by, a bettor would have to visit their local betting office in person, write out their bets and pay in cash. They would then have to re-visit that sportsbook whenever they wanted to strike a bet or collect their winnings. It was a huge effort for some, and the inconvenience put many off betting, especially on spur-of-the-moment selections like the next horse race due off.
For many years some people – including millions of women – saw betting offices as uninviting, smokey and male-dominated environments, with betting out of their reach. Gambling online using a smartphone changed all that. Sports betting has become much more accessible, and you can wager from anywhere using your mobile and at any time. Bet with the touch of your screen or click of a button. This encouraged a host of new bettors to get involved and try their luck at picking a winner.
Are you ready to join the party? It’s the best time to do so with the top bookies offering new players a welcome bonus free bet.
