Sports betting is one of the most popular activities in the betting space. The market size of the betting and gambling industry in the United Kingdom is the equivalent of $14.7 billion as of 2022.
Let’s go through the history of football betting in the United Kingdom to understand how it started and the present-day industry outlook. When you are not busy learning about the history of football betting in the United Kingdom, log on to Casino777 for a fun betting experience playing games such as slots, Blackjack, and roulette. Make your bets wisely and have a good time!
When Did Football Betting Start in the United Kingdom?
The Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 passed in the United Kingdom allowed gamblers to wage bets on football matches at local betting shops. To conceal the wagers that gamblers were making, owners of betting shops reassured that the building interior was dark with minimal lighting so that the betting process would be kosher.
Even twenty years into the 1980s, betting shops continued this tactic to protect the wagering process. By 1986, the UK government passed a new law that allowed betting shops to not be as dark. Hence, the legislation allowed more vibrant interiors and even television sets so gamblers could watch the games they were betting on in real-time.
Football Betting Becomes More Popular in the 1990s
Football betting in the United Kingdom rose in popularity in the 1990s when the gamblers in the betting space turned into millions. Because of the legislation that made betting shops less dark, it was more inviting for bettors to hang out and watch the game live to see if their bets would play out or not.
This experience for the United Kingdom was the first wave of live betting in an offline environment for local residents. Eventually, with the evaluation of the Internet, online live betting became more mainstream to allow people to wager bets from the comfort of their own homes rather than visiting betting shops.
Online Betting Becomes Mainstream in the Early 2000s
Companies such as Betfair and bet365 were the first couple of companies that emerged later in the early 2000s. Betfair and bet365 originated in 2000. Betfair came to be because of co-founders Edward Wray and Andrew Black. bet365 came to the limelight thanks to Denise Coats and other members of her family.
As the first two sports betting companies in the United Kingdom, they kickstarted the popular online betting community that has come to be today. Can you imagine how many betting sites there are now>
Today’s Online Betting Industry
The online betting industry has grown to allow many different companies to offer the ability to bet on football whenever there’s a game available. There are currently 500 sportsbooks affiliated with the United Kingdom to allow residents to wager their bets on the World Cup and other major football events.
While bet365 is still within the top eight sports betting websites in the United Kingdom, Betfair is still well-known but not within the top eight contenders. According to BestBettingSites the top eight casinos are as follows:
1. BetMGM
2. Hard Rock Casino
3. BetRivers
4. bet365
5. Borgata Online Casino
6. PointsBet
7. Unibet
8. Betway
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the United Kingdom sports betting industry in the 1960s started with betting shops and then graduated to offline live betting before converting to online live betting with the rise of the Internet in the early 2000s. Which online sportsbook is your favorite and why? Weigh in by commenting below! Remember to profess your opinion in a well-mannered fashion and be respectful of other peoples’ input.