How Online Betting Began and Why It is So Popular

Thanks to today’s technology and the internet, there are now many things that we can do without doing much. With just a few clicks or taps, people can easily pay their bills and even shop for their needs online. Without leaving the house, people can already do so much including placing their sports bets online.

Even if online gambling seems to be a thing of recent past years, it has been around for a while now. The first online gambling platform became available to the public in October 1994, and this was for the Liechtenstein International Lottery. Since then, more sites have appeared online accepting bets for poker, blackjack, and sports betting.

In 1996 was when an online casino called InterTops started to take bets for sports and many would go for horse race online betting. It wasn’t surprising since horse racing and betting has always been a perfect match. Since the existence of online sports betting, more bookies have hopped into the online market like William Hill and Ladbrokes.

Online Sports Betting Since It Started

Aside from established bookies also taking part in the online fiasco, some new bookies came to light. It didn’t take long before competition between these companies became tight, and this is why they had to figure out ways to gain more new customers. Most resorted to offering generous bonuses and free bets. Others also offered enhanced odds and cashback bonuses too.

What got more people into online sports betting in 2000 was when Betfair opened up and allowed peer-to-peer betting. What Betfair did is that they didn’t take bets from customers. What they did instead is to allow their customers to place bets among themselves. What Betfair did set a trend in the industry and it is called exchange betting.

Then came 2002 when live betting was introduced to the public. Live betting or also called in-game or in-play betting is another form of wagering on sports that takes place as a match is happening. This was not widely available back then as this was only available on terminals that bookies installed in their shops or at casinos.

However, live betting and other forms of betting became more accessible when mobile technology got better. Through mobile betting, punters are now able to place their bets anytime they want and anywhere they are. They can also now easily place live bets with just a few taps. The development of mobile technology has surely helped the online betting sector gain more popularity over the last decade.

Why Online is the Way to Go When Betting on Your Favorite Sport

Nowadays, more and more punters are starting to place their bets online. Why wouldn’t they? It’s accessible and convenient. Add that we are still dealing with a pandemic. Many people would just really rather stay at home and watch the match and bet on it.

Convenience just really plays an important role when it comes to this. Many online bookies now offer their services through mobile apps and most of them are easy to use and navigate. There are also betting apps that have other features like match streaming. Some would even let their customers play certain casino games.

Online betting has also made payment transactions fast and easy. The biggest bookies typically have plenty of options for their customers to be able to transact with them. From the use of credit/debit cards to digital wallets like Neteller, PayPal, and Skrill, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Cardano, Ethereum, and many more. These are just some options that players have today.

While many have already transitioned to online betting, there are still some who are hesitant about this because they are concerned about their safety. While this is a valid concern, it is already generally safe to gamble or place your sports bet online.

Online bookies are up to date when it comes to the security system they use. Many bookies already ensure end-to-end transactions and use data encryption to make sure that the data of their customers are safe and secure.

As a gambler, it is also your responsibility to keep yourself from any online harm. The best that you can do is to ensure you will be only dealing with a licensed online casino or bookie to avoid any troubles. These cookies are required to be checked at random times by third-party companies to ensure the fairness of the odds and the games that they offer. Never deal with an unlicensed online casino or bookie.