Sports betting is the oldest known form of gambling on the planet. In the early days, it was was a simple pastime activity, now it’s a multi-billion dollar business.
The first recorded betting events ever to be held in history were in the time of the Greek city states more than two thousand years ago. The Greeks were known as true sports lovers, and events like the Olympic, Corinthian and Delphic games were great occasions for people to bet on their favorite athletic competition.
The Romans soon adopted this habit from the Greeks, and they turned it into a real business. The most common betting activity in the Roman times was on the famous gladiator games. But after the end of the Roman era this splendid habit survived and was adopted by the early medieval kingdoms.
In the middle ages, several European rulers tried to outlaw sports betting, but no matter what measures they introduced it persisted and continued to be played underground. This habit became especially popular in England where it’s most famous branch was horse racing. Eventually the English colonists brought sports betting into the USA, where is quickly spread out and became a favorite to many. Today, however, it’s only legal in a few US states.
Sports betting is widely enjoyed in the world, but it’s mainly popular in Europe where it has a long tradition and is legal in most states. Nowadays this activity turned into a huge business, rewarding both bookmakers and players.< Wikipedia.com>
In the digital age, there are numerous online sites like sport.netbet.co.uk that let users depoist real money to bet on live football matches, horse racing, cricket, basketball and NFL. Popular casino games are extremely fun too.
A study by the BBC in 2007 found:
The Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, the first major study of attitudes to and prevalence of gambling in the UK since 1999, surveyed 9,003 people between September 2006 and March 2007. Here are some of the key findings:
- There are about 250,000 “problem gamblers” in the UK – but the numbers have remained steady since the last survey in 1999.
- When people whose sole form of gambling is playing the National Lottery are included, the amount of people gambling has dropped from 72% to 68%.
- When they are excluded, participation in gambling in the past year had risen from 46% to 48% – which, if translated across the UK – would amount to about an extra 1m people.
- The types of gambling with the most “problem gamblers” are the newest forms of gambling, such as spread betting, fixed odds betting terminals, betting exchanges and online gambling.
For most people, gambling is a fun, recreational activity which they are able to enjoy without losing control, however, for some people gambling can become a serious problem, both for themselves and for their family, friends, and those concerned about them. Know your limits, when you aren’t enjoying it anymore, it’s time to take a break.
