Betting on sports is something that has been popular dating back centuries. Sports betting can be traced back to the days of Ancient Roman gladiators, with gamblers wagering on the massive spectacles. Much has changed since then, and sports betting has become a massively mainstream industry, with hundreds of millions of people around the world placing sports wagers.
Much has had to change for the industry to grow into the titan it is today, where soccer betting Canada can attract millions of dollars of bets in a single day. So how has wagering on sports grown into the massive industry it currently is? Let’s look back on the tech innovations that have led to the evolution of modern gambling.
Bookmakers and In-Person Betting
To trace the rise of modern sports betting, let’s start with how things used to be. There was no online bookmaker that would allow bettors to wager from their homes, and betting was highly regulated. If you wanted to wager, you’d have to either find a bookmaker or a casino. They would have odds, and considering the lack of a selection bettors had, they would typically not be overly favorable. Bettors could wager in person, but there was a lack of live interaction unless they were at the horse races.
The Rise of the Internet
The internet changed everything, massively disrupting countless industries across sectors. The world of sports betting was certainly one of the major industries that the internet forever altered. Once the internet came online and spread to millions of homes around the world, sports betting sites saw the opportunity. They created websites where bettors could pay and wager online, all without leaving their homes. Canadian websites like Bodog and Sports Interaction were early adopters, creating their betting sites in the 1990s. Since then, hundreds of sportsbooks have become available online.
Mobile Gaming
For a time, desktop-based betting sites were the best bet for in-the-moment, rapid online wagering. But then, another tech innovation arrived that further transformed the world and the gambling industry. Smartphones became widespread in the mid-2000s, and now bettors had a tool to surf the internet and use their favorite betting sites wherever they were. Recognizing the potential this had, many sportsbooks began to release betting apps. These downloadable applications gave bettors easier access than ever before to their digital wagers. The user experience was easy and fast, and bettors finally had a tool that could make their gambling near limitless.
Legality and Government Involvement
If there was one concern with the world of sports betting throughout this period, it was that gambling on games online was a legal gray area. Governments had not legalized sports betting in most parts of the United States and Canada, although bettors could use betting sites that were based in the native territory or offshore locations. However, the tide began to turn in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Now, sports betting has become legal and government regulated in several huge markets, including Ontario. It has gone from a murky gray area to a widely recognized mainstream industry, where companies are allowed to advertise, and governments can oversee their websites to ensure safety and security.
A Bright Future
Where do all these changes leave us today? They leave us at an exciting time for the sports betting industry. It is more competitive and user-friendly than ever, with companies desperately trying to stand out from the numerous other betting sites that are available online. It also leaves us looking ahead to a bright future. The world of betting and technology are closely integrated, as digital betting is a multi-billion-dollar juggernaut of an industry. As technology continues to evolve, look ahead to an exciting future for the world of online sports betting.