Sports betting has been around for as long as sports themselves. It may have started out with simple wagers between friends on who is going to win a certain game. But, pretty soon, it became an industry, even in the ancient and medieval societies. However, as societies grow, change, and develop, so too do the industries that run within them. So, it is unsurprising to learn that sports betting has changed significantly.
One of the ways in which the sports betting industry has changed in the 21st century has to do with the internet. Namely, the rise of online sportsbooks has had a pretty significant impact. In this article, we would like to explore the modern day wagering market, and help new fans find their way at their favorite sports betting brokerage online. To do that, we are going to take a look at concerns regarding safety, the most popular sports to bet on, and more.
Finding a Safe Sportsbook
The first thing to keep in mind is that you have to look for a safe website on which to gamble or wager. Back in the 1990s, when online bookies first started popping up, it was difficult to discern the safe from the unsafe. Which led many people to completely dismiss online sportsbooks. However, a lot has changed in the intermittent decades. With regulations getting a lot stricter, online bookies have also been getting a lot safer. But, how can the average player determine if a bookie is legitimate?
The simplest way to do so is to simply examine whether a bookie is licensed. Every sportsbook must list their license on the website’s homepage. There are those who worry about the legitimacy of license, but those fears are often misplaced. Studies have shown that a licensed sportsbook is safe, no matter where the license comes from. Whether you are betting using a bookie that is licensed domestically or offshore in Europe, the Caribbean or anywhere else, the license proves that the sportsbook is legitimate.
Still, for a lot of people, licenses are not enough. The good news is that the online betting industry has grown to such a degree, that there are dedicated review sites and forums that discuss most of the websites that you are likely to come across. Professional review sites go into a bookie objectively, and assess the good and the bad. On the other hand, forums are made up of past or present users, who will often discuss their own, personal, subjective experiences with a certain website.
Creating an Account
Once you’ve found your website, and determined that it is safe and legitimate, you must create an account if you wish to wager. Doing so is remarkably simple. All you really need is a smartphone, laptop, or any other sort of electronic device with access to the internet. Go to the sportsbook that you’ve chosen, and click the “Get Started” button, located in the top right corner of the screen. Then, you only have to agree to the terms of service of the website.
This is where things get tricky. A lot of people are tempted to agree to the terms without actually reading through them. While we understand that reading terms and conditions is a tedious task, it is also very important, especially in the case of online sportsbooks. The reason why it is so important, is because online bookies offer bonuses. However, the rules for how these bonuses work are laid out in the T&C. A lot of punters make mistakes when using their bonus offers, precisely because they didn’t read through the terms.
Once you’ve read the terms and conditions, you can type in any necessary information to create your account. Then, it is a simple matter of verifying your account using an email, and once that is done, it is time to start betting. But, what are the sports that you are going to be betting on? That is an important question that we are going to be looking at next.
Sports to Bet On
One of the earliest sports for which we have betting records is cricket. And, if you can believe it, cricket is still one of the most popular sports to bet on, not just online, but in land-based sports shops as well. The sport has an international following of over 2 billion people, with the biggest cricket fandoms existing in the Indian subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and of course, the sport’s native home of England.
Sports websites cover cricket extensively. Not only do they report the latest news about the sport, but they also keep track of all the scorecards for big matches and the latest regarding individual players. But, some may also notice that they do the same for football. That is because football is even bigger than cricket, worldwide. Currently, there are over 3 billion fans of football, making it the most popular sport in the world. The number of fans greatly increases every time a FIFA World Cup rolls around.
Finally, basketball is a sort of rising star in the world of sports. It wasn’t until the 1990s that basketball amassed a huge global audience. Even then, it was only a couple of years ago that basketball overtook cricket in terms of global fandom, and became the second most popular sport to watch and wager on. Basketball betting is relatively new to most people, which might give it an extra layer of intrigue which does not exist with cricket or football betting.
Some Last Thoughts
The emergence of online sportsbooks is a great thing. It has led to a much simpler and more convenient way to wager for many people. Though, for a long time, online sports betting existed in a legal grey area, many European countries, as well as US states and Canadian provinces are seeing the upsides of a safe and legal industry. That is why, for the most part, online sportsbooks are now legal around the world, and fans are free to enjoy and bet on their favorite sporting events.
