U.S. Sports Betting Will Grow as the Novelty Grows Old
Not since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the winding up of the Eastern Bloc has there been such a big upheaval in attitudes. We are, of course, talking about gambling and the authorities take on it since May 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to kill off the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the federal law that had essentially limited sports betting to one state for 25 years.
The floodgates immediately opened and the race was on to legalize gambling on a State by State basis. A dozen states will now let you gamble on sports, that figure is likely to double within the next three years and could double again within a decade.
Right now gamblers are going through a honeymoon period, relieved to be betting on their favorite sports with little regard for seeking the very best odds or choice. But the demand for choice will come in time with a call for betting sports outside of the traditional strongholds of NFL, NBA, MLB, Golf and Hockey.
Click here to see reviews for all the top UK bookmakers and you will be amazed by the number of betting markets available on a host of off-the-wall sports: Esports, cycling, sailing, motorsports, alpine skiing, speedway, volleyball, water polo and surfing are just some of the sports our UK cousins will allow us to bet on. And then there is the outcome of political elections, TV shows and even which song will top the charts at Christmas.
The reason is simple, the U.K. is Europe’s largest sports betting market and a global leader in online betting. That’s due to their early liberalization of online gambling and widespread land-based betting outlets: There are over 9,000 betting shops (better known to us as OTB’s) which is amazing given the country is the same geographical size as Minnesota. They first became legal in 1961.
Neighboring Ireland featured legalized betting in licensed shops way back in 1926.
If you would like a glimpse as to how the gambling landscape will look in 20 years’ time, it would make sense to look at what has evolved amongst multi-faceted European online sportsbooks.
In addition to dozens of betting sports there is a phenomenal amount of bet types and the ability to place a horse selection, with an NFL betting tip and a tennis player in a three-way treble might just seem like a fantasy but it is this type of variety which will make a breakthrough once gamblers start to seek more fun for their money.
