Popular Sports for Betting

From betting on fighting animals in first millennium BC China, to the world of the online bonus casino we live in today, betting and gambling has always been a huge part of society. Since the start of horse racing in Great Britain over 300 years ago, predicting the outcome of your favourite sporting event is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the world. In this post, we’re going to take a look at exactly which sports attract the most bets and what it is that makes them so popular…

Horse Racing

The sport of Kings was once the most popular betting sport around, with the upper-class attending horse racing events for hundreds of years. This is perhaps why its popularity has remained even with the highly saturated sporting market, particularly in the UK. At the 2017 Cheltenham Festival, £150 million was made in bets across just four days. And it’s not just the big events that draw in the bets, it is hugely popular for daily and weekly betting.

Football

Whether it’s football in Europe or soccer in the states, football is the world’s most popular sport to bet on. Drawing in millions of fans each and every week, football offers a wide range of aspects for people to bet on. As well as the obvious match outcome bets, people can also predict which player will score, how many goals will be scored by each team or who will be sent off.

Fighting Sports

Boxing, UFC, WWE, kickboxing – there are a huge number of fighting sports that draw in a large betting crowd. The practice of betting on the outcome of a fight has been around for thousands of years, dating back as early as 3000 BC. Whilst some may now consider this practice outdated, the simplicity of betting on fighting sports keeps thousands interested. The popularity of fighting sports has increased massively in recent years too, giving the bookies plenty of events to draw the odds for.

Dog Racing

Similarly to fighting sports, betting on dog racing goes back hundreds of years. Dog racing was originally horse racing’s less wealthy brother. The idea and practice were similar, but the crowds they attracted were miles apart. Whilst the wealthy elite headed to Cheltenham for a horse racing weekend, hundreds of lower-class people gathered at the dog tracks to back their favourite hound. Today, both sports have become much more mainstream, attracting thousands of betters each week.

Casino Betting

Whilst trying your luck on Mega Moolah may not be considered a sport, some casino games are. Poker is a hugely popular casino game that is considered by many to be a sport. Today, poker is shown globally in live events and competitions, which likens it to sport, as well as the competitive nature of the game. Not only do people bet whilst taking part in poker, but bookies now take bets on the outcome of some poker tournaments.