Depending on the country you live in, you will notice the profound changes the gambling industry has gone through since the inception of the internet.
Even in countries known for looser gambling legislation, such as the United Kingdom, strict laws permanently banned excessive advertising, and physical bookmakers were often innocuous-looking locations.
However, if you visit a UK high street today, you will see many companies use bright colors and large advertising boards to entice gamblers through their door.
The changes we have seen haven’t just impacted the gambling industry in physical locations and online, which has been subject to even more significant changes. For example, the most popular casino card game is poker, which has crossed over into popular culture, featuring in many films, televised live and the foundation of a night in with your friends. Yet, poker online is now a gigantic industry, which has been met with negative views, as it stripped away the physical advantages of a face-to-face game for some.
This includes bluffing and psyching out opponents with body language. However, online poker is a different version that purely focuses on your hand’s quality, with equally big money at hand.
With such colossal money changing hands online, it isn’t just the casino industry that has seen considerable increases in its profit margins.
Other industries, such as sports betting, have also experienced a boom. So what are the most prominent individual sporting events for gambling? Let’s take a look, shall we?
The Superbowl
As the most significant individual professional sporting event in the world’s biggest superpower, it’s no surprise the Superbowl appears in this article. Figures indicate over 65% of the American population watch the Superbowl – which puts the figure in the region of 200 million people.
If you follow the money, you’ll find plenty of people looking to place a wager to add further excitement to the game. This year’s Superbowl saw around a quarter of the American viewers who tuned in place a bet on the game.
The figure is estimated to be around $16 billion on a single game, and that’s only in the United States! So even though there are talks of a recession in the United States, there are still enormous markets for significant sporting events like the Superbowl.
FIFA World Cup Final
The FIFA World Cup final entirely eclipses even the vast numbers that watch the Superbowl. The 2018 World Cup tournament saw upwards of $100 billion in wagers placed worldwide.
This colossal figure shows the true extent of the online gambling industry and how it has grown from a modest corner of the internet to one of the biggest global industries.
The global audience for the recent World Cup was estimated to be over 1 billion. However, some estimates have placed this considerably higher, it is hard to pinpoint it exactly, but the figure eclipses any other sporting event.
With so many people tuning in, it shouldn’t be surprising that the amount of money placed on the individual tournament is so colossal.
Responsible Gambling
Although gambling should always be viewed as entertainment and something to add a bit of excitement to your game, always gamble with caution. You must only bet with money you can afford to lose; when the fun stops, you should stop.
You can find plenty of help online for problem gambling, and you can also speak to trusted family, friends and medical professionals who can help you stomp out any problem gambling.
Kentucky Derby/The Grand National
As the United States and United Kingdom’s biggest individual horse races, respectively, we have coupled these together as it is difficult to ascertain which one sees more gambling activity.
Some estimates have placed the Grand National betting in the region of £200 million, around $240 million. The Kentucky Derby is in the area of $250 million.
These numbers are enormous as individual events in a niche sport such as horse racing. Both races are watched by hundreds of millions of people online. Traditionally, horse racing has been a big betting market, especially in the United Kingdom.
Although it has enjoyed success in the United States, many States have loosened online gambling legislation, which has led to vast amounts of money flowing into markets like the Superbowl and Kentucky Derby.
Conclusion
As more States begin to look at online gambling more favorably, the possibility of this market expanding further is likely. Traditionally, these markets have been the most prominent sports betting markets for decades.
Except for a singular colossal combat sporting event every decade or so, these events regularly see the most significant amount of money exchanged with bookmakers and betting companies. So expect to see them all grow considerably throughout this decade.
