Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Sports betting is an integral part of the gambling industry. Sports fans worldwide take their chance by placing bets to enjoy the thrill of uncertainty and excitement of witnessing their favourite teams or athletes succeed. With the advent of new online casinos and digital transformation, sports betting not only takes place in gambling but is the most popular segment of the market, as it covers around 70% of the gambling industry.
But have you ever wondered how it all started? Let’s dive into the retrospective evolution of sports betting.
Even though there were some ancient civilisations where evidence of betting wasn’t discovered, such as Maori culture (in modern-day New Zealand), sports betting has accompanied humanity from ancient times to the present day. Scientists claim that the first evidence of betting dates back to 4000 BC. There are scripts that reveal the gambling legislation in Ancient Egypt, which means not only that the civilisation had a practice of betting but also the developed betting law regulations.
Famous for the inception of the Olympic Games, Ancient Greece was the perfect environment for the origin of the betting industry. Sports events, such as chariots and horse races, wrestling, boxing, and pentathlon, became a focus of attention and a source of thrill for most Greeks, who, over time, desired to enlarge the excitement by guessing the winner.
In the Roman Empire, the growing popularity of gladiator fights and chariot races led to gambling distribution among passionate spectators. Even the emperor of the Roman Empire, Agustus, was known for regularly placing large bets. The first bookmakers would actively promote betting to the insatiable audience. Trying to predict the result of a fight, they started setting odds, which is now an essential component of sports betting. There is also evidence of Roman betting law regulations. Throughout the time of the existence of the Roman Empire, laws changed. Thus, during the reign of one emperor, betting was completely legal. With the advent of another one, the laws could be changed, so limitations and even a prohibition of gambling took place. However, scientists claim the regulations were likely not enforced.
The Middle Ages in Europe, a time of significant social and religious transformation, brought some changes to betting culture. Scepticism of the Christian church raised a question of morality and the sinfulness of gambling. Church supporters actively promoted that gambling distracts people from a virtuous life, convicting the industry. Therefore, laws prohibiting or restricting betting ensued all over Europe. However, the passion for gambling could not go away so easily, and so bets continued to be placed underground. Sports betting in Medieval Europe was mostly practised during spectacular jousting tournaments. The battles fascinated the audience with their unpredictability, so they couldn’t help betting on the favourite.
While in Europe betting was going through its worst time, in China, gambling was in its heyday. China enacted legislation that allowed betting, and at the time, gambling houses became a part of the cultural traditions of the country. However, in neighbouring Japan, being caught participating in wagering could result in execution.
The development of horse racing culture in the 17th century set a new milestone for sports betting in the UK. King James I and Queen Anna created favourable conditions for the development of horse racing culture by building racetracks and supporting the industry. Richard Tattersaul, an English horse actioner, began bookmaking practice in England in 1766. At the time odds became common, they were typically set between the bet and the win of each horse. Over time, betting had become an essential part of watching racing, and by 1845, betting on horse races was legal.
The history of sports betting has been challenging. For a long time, it wasn’t regulated by the government almost everywhere, and bettors weren’t secured by law. Underground gambling mainly occurred in pubs, where it was mixed with the consumption of alcohol. Soon enough, people realised the necessity of gambling law regulations.
In the 20th century, the world plunged into a fever of betting legalisation. In 1934, the United Kingdom enacted the Betting and Lotteries Act, which allowed on-course betting. But the real breakthrough for sports betting came in 1960 when the UK introduced the Betting and Gaming Act, which aimed to take gambling off the streets and pubs and implement regulations. Thousands of legal betting houses were opened within a year after it.
The widespread adoption of the Internet at the end of the 1990s resulted in the creation of online betting platforms. Then, in 1996, the first online bet was placed on the Intertops website, and later, in 2000, the same company set up an app for mobile devices. With the occurrence and distribution of online casinos, the question of licensing came up. The majority of primary online casinos were offshore. They were registered on small islands or countries to avoid business taxation.
In 2023, according to Statista data, the revenue of the online gambling industry has more than doubled over the past five years, which confirms that nowadays, online betting has become essential in the gambling industry.
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