Sports’ betting has been around for many years and is known to be the oldest form of gambling present today. It has grown to a multi-billion dollar business from just being a past time activity. Today we will explore the origins and history of sports betting briefly.
Sports Betting: A Brief History
The credit of recorded betting events goes to Greeks, who organized the first 2 betting events, 2,000 years ago. In fact, Greeks were popularly known as sports lovers around the world and sporting occasions such as Corinthian, Olympics and Delphic games, provided an excellent sports betting opportunity to them.
This Greek habit was soon turned into a real business by the Romans, with gladiator games becoming a popular betting activity ground. After the end of Roman era, it was adopted by the medieval European Kingdoms.
Different European rulers tried to culminate sports betting, but despite all the different measures they adopted, it remained a popular underground activity. Even though it was well-liked all around Europe, it was more admired in England, with people actively betting on the race horses. It was also introduced to the United States by the English Colonists, where it became a favorite to many, spreading quickly over all the States. In fact, a few of the US states had also made sports betting legal.
From horseracing, it has spread to the other popular sports games such as baseball, football, tennis and cricket. Many historic events have been recorded in each of these games, raising the future of the games in the eyes of the concerned sports authority and its fans.
Damage of the Black Sox Scandal
Infamous Black Sox scandal in 1919 is one such event in the history of baseball sport that gave a controversial status to the gamblers in the public eye. The gamblers bribed 8 Chicago White Sox players for throwing the World Baseball Series. As a result, the players were banned for life, making it a crime to practice sports betting on baseball and other similar games in the gaming industry.
College Sports Betting
Popularity of the college football and basketball in the 20th century caused an overall increase in the sports betting. The odds of a game were placed heavily in favor of bookmarks, eventually offering high profits. This made the college athletics to become a popular source of the betting industry.
Legalized Gambling in Las Vegas
Legalization of gambling in Las Vegas in 1931 further strengthened the prospect of sports betting industry. All the major casinos today have their own sports book.
Betting on Online Sports
Sports betting industry has also made inroads to games played over the internet. There are a wide number of online sports betting websites that compete for your business, and offer bonuses and promotions to new members. Internet has made it really easy for the potential bettors to place bets from the comfort and safety of their home. Furthermore, there is always an option to gamble online by playing at the online gambling casinos.