Online sports betting is an extremely popular practice all around the world. Although gambling is illegal in many countries, most of these countries have no restrictions against betting online. This also includes online sports betting. However, the scenario is different in different regions and countries depending on legal provisions and the demand of certain sports and forms of sports betting.
Some important aspects of online sports betting include being carefully aware about the site you are placing your bets on, getting started only with smaller bids so as to gauge the scenario before putting larger amounts at stake, and staying up to date about the field of sports you are placing your bets on. Betting can primarily be of two types- betting for profit, and betting for fun. While the former usually involve substantial sums of money, the latter is a more leisurely pursuit and include mostly smaller bets.
Listed below are the online sports betting scenarios in different countries:
United Kingdom
United Kingdom can be referred to as an online sports betting giant, as it houses the largest online sports betting market in the entire continent of Europe. In the UK, sports betting was legalized way back in the year of 1961, and therefore it has been a well-loved and widely practiced activity for decades now. Most bets are placed in sports such as football, tennis, and even cricket (which is not popular in most European countries). The turnover on the online sports betting industry in the UK is almost $ 20 billions annually.
Australia
Way back in the year of 1980, all types of sports betting was made legal in Australia, which is a hub for a wide variety of sporting activities (however, certain restrictions have been placed on advertisements and broadcasting on mass media during certain specific hours). Football and rugby are the two most common sports when it comes to online sports betting, and there are more than 8-10 websites which are currently facilitating online sports betting on a large scale in this country.
Other European countries like Italy and Germany
Most European countries have a very popular online betting network. For example, Italy has the second largest regulated online sports betting market, which largely thrives in bets on football. Some other sports which are quite common for online betting in this country are volleyball and lawn tennis. When it comes to Germany, most profit in the online sports betting market is made for two sports-football, and horse racing. Another interesting fact about the betting scenario in Germany is that unlike many other countries, all forms of betting when it comes to sports betting have been legalized, and therefore it is quite a lucrative industry, due to which there are a huge number of online betting websites facilitating the same currently.
India
Since cricket is the most popular sport in India, unsurprisingly most online sports betting sites in this region heavily focus on placing bets on and figuring out the odds of cricket matches. There are a large number of online betting guides and websites when it comes to India, and many of them have also incorporated the idea of playing a fantasy league into consideration to attract more people.
United States of America
The USA perhaps has the most vibrant and robust online sports betting community. Although all sorts of betting were banned in this country for a very long time in order to keep them free from undue interventions by the infamous American gangsters, later in 2018, this ban was lifted and betting was made legal in a large number of states across the country (except Nevada which allowed it since before). The online betting industry generates billions of revenue every year, and is therefore quite lucrative, and is enjoying an ever increasing popularity.
Quite obviously, basketball is the most common sport on which bets are placed on across the United States of America. Although there are a plethora of websites on which bets can be placed, one website which really stand out is the 888 sportsbook online on which bets can be placed very conveniently for a large variety of sports like basketball, baseball, tennis, football, and hockey (the betting options on this website includes several leading leagues for these sports).
Online sports betting is an industry which is gradually gaining popularity among sports fans (especially the youth), and making a mark for itself all across the world. Sports betting online is common for most sports, but the ones that stand out are football, tennis, and basketball. Before indulging in online sports betting, however, it is advised that you go through the legal norms of your countries, and the options offered in terms of websites offering betting options carefully for a safe and fun experience.