In the recent decade, Sports betting has indeed taken a toll on the minds of Americans. In the year 2018, the government scrapped the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act which led to a surge in online betting to a great extent. These days, online casinos, sportsbooks, and bookmakers attract new, promising bettors across the nation. The popularity has come to such a pass that operators these days are deliberately paving their way into the market.
Sports gambling contributes around 30%-40% of the world’s gambling revenue, including other modes of betting, such as lotteries, pokers, etc. This can explain the popularity of international betting sites at CasinoGap.org with such high demand among gamblers all around the world. Thereby, it is speculated that over half a trillion or approximately over $500 million is an average of the wagering in the annual bets across the world.
Betting in sports is indeed a stronghold point in society, and this is quite well revealed by the huge participation in some of the most popular international betting events. Bettors do choose along the lines of their preference, and favourite sports.
1. World Cup
The World Cup indeed comes with its own charm of jovial spirit and indulgence. People groove in as the ball sways between players, and this excitement seems even more certified when it comes to placing bets. The 2018 reports suggest that approximately 3.527 billion were active spectators in 64 matches. These viewers were also claimed to be huge contributors to the betting industry even while some broadcasters suspend betting advertisements. FIFA confirmed that an estimated value of $136 billion was wagered in the course of the tournament, with $7.2 billion in the final match itself.
2. Kentucky Derby
Horse racing is fun indeed, but who could have thought to make it one of the most desirable sporting events to earn back high revenues when it comes to betting. Moreover, Kentucky surely has amassed great support all over the world to be a favourite wagering sport. According to the reports of 2019, it was speculated that over $250 million dollars of wagering amount were earned in the event. An exciting sport it is, and indeed a nerve-wracking one, people are so thrilled that they remain hanging from the edge of their seats till the last minute of the game.
3. Boxing
Boxing has long been standing as a favourite sport of the youth. And why shouldn’t it be though? It involves a euphoric rush with every blow, and perhaps this reason brings in large quantities of support and betting investment. The big-time memorable fights of Floyd Mayweather, and Conor McGregor do shower upon the charms which bring in over $100 million dollars of wagers.
4. Super Bowl
It is simply not surprising to rate the Super Bowl as the Americans’ favourite sport. Super Bowl simply gathers a larger audience each year, and around 100 million people remain in active support of the Super Bowl. According to the reports of the American Gaming Association, as much as a wholesome amount of $7billion dollars was almost the total bet amount during the interesting tch between Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers. What makes the Super Bowl even more unique is a series of interesting bets by the casual bettors during the half-time show, coin toss, national anthems, etc.
5. March Madness
March Madness and thrill often echo together. Hosted every year as college basketball, the tournament is month-long and draws bettors of all ages to take part in the amazing betting events. It has a total of 67 events, which gives a large scope to the bettors to bet on their favourite games. According to the American Gaming Association, around a 47million American adults take part in the active wagering of the game, and account for almost $8.5 billion dollars in the men’s tournament alone. Reports also reveal interesting facts such as only 7% of the bettors invest money legally in sportsbooks or with a friend. It is indeed not as popular as the Super Bowl, but it can definitely collect a wagering amount 2x of the Super Bowl.
6. The Grand National
Britain brings in the touch of monarchy as they host ‘The Grand National’ every year. Regarded as one of the toughest horse races of all time, The Grand National is mostly attended by the royalty and hence attaches much importance to the sport. It is recorded that The Grand National seeks a total viewership of almost 500-600 million viewers from around 120 countries. In the year 2017, The Grand National event gained a large wager of around $400 million US dollars.
7. NBA Finals
Basketball surely has fandom among Americans with NBA increasing money prizes, and it is also one of the fastest-growing sports across the world. Therefore, it is indeed not very shocking that fans wait for their championship series. However, no exact amount of bets placed with real money can be speculated since bets are usually made on illegal offshore books. Nevada alone recorded $10 million dollars per game, and approximately 20 million people enjoy the game annually.
8. World Series
Basketball seems not to lose its popularity in the US, and this is actively brought out by the huge support in the World Series. In recent days, the game has further rocketed to gain maximum support. This could possibly be due to the Houston business owner, Jim “Mattress Mack” Mclngvale who likely bet $11million dollars on Astros of many other States.
9. Rugby World Cup
Rugby is not very popular in the US, but it has a very exciting audience across the world. According to the 2019 reports, the Rugby Championship in Japan drew 850 million national and international viewers. However, information regarding the betting amount is not currently available, since the bets are mostly placed on illegal terms in Nevada, and elsewhere.
Conclusion
The indulging action of sports betting surely has both a positive, as well as a negative impact on the sports industry. While on one hand, sports betting has ensured sponsorship, a huge revenue, etc. among the players, on the other sports betting paves the way to gambling addiction or problem gambling. There are huge possibilities of problem gambling among young adults across the world. Furthermore, illegal gambling also incites illicit activities, which are often harmful.