Placing wagers on football matches is an old hobby, probably just as old as the sport itself. However, it took some time before betting shops were established as a legitimate business. This definitely contributed to bringing in more wagering enthusiasts. Now they had a place to socialize, enjoy their coffee, and follow multiple sports events at the same time.
It did not stop here though, as football wagering continued to evolve by leveraging the technology that became available. Nowadays football betting has largely migrated to the digital environment. But, luckily, that did not exactly hurt the sportsbook shop business. Considering how sports betting, in general, is continuously changing it would be interesting to examine how it changed over the years. Furthermore, we will speculate how it will continue to evolve based on what we are seeing today.
Going Online
Online betting opened up a lot of doors to make the hobby more accessible and more entertaining. However, the transition brought its share of problems as well, as it’s harder to regulate this hobby within the online environment. Physical shops can easily deny service to potential users under the age of 18, whereas placing wagers online could be done anonymously.
Thanks to the changes in the legislative landscape and reliable tools for verifying identity, it became possible to regulate betting in a digital environment. This led to wider legalization in multiple states, and even the supreme court has decided to make sports betting legal.
Online Betting Apps
As the number of smartphone users continued to grow, more and more sports betting apps for android and iOS started to emerge. This meant that every user had his or her own account that they can use to play and deposit funds. Moreover, apps have different bonuses or user benefits which incentivizes people to try out multiple sportsbooks apps. In case you wish to find out some of these user benefits, there is more info here.
This transition made it even more convenient for users to enjoy their hobby as they no longer needed access to a computer. Also, users have different apps so they get more value out of their deposit by opting for the one that offers a better promotion.
Fantasy and Virtual Sports
Another massive change in the football betting environment came from fantasy football. As a fantasy sports player, you are no longer just a spectator, but you are actively building your team and competing with other users.
In addition to fantasy sports, placing wagers on virtual sports was introduced as well. These were match simulations that lasted significantly shorter and were a more dynamic way to play. This also meant that users were no longer dependent on sports events to participate in sports betting.
Because of the high accessibility and the overall entertainment fantasy sports app started to take the market by storm. This rapid growth also had an impact on how to define these games and how they should be regulated, and the closer inspection also revealed that it is possible to come up with a formula for the win.
What To Expect
It seems that the world of football betting is poised to make the whole experience more convenient and entertaining. So they will likely work on expanding payment options as digital currencies continue to rise in popularity, and maybe create more events or quick time bets – like having a quick wager option in case a penalty shot occurs, to see if the player will score or miss.
Since online sports betting is so profitable it’s highly possible that other corporate giants like Google, Microsoft, or Apple also join in with their innovative tech. This could result in completely new business players dominating this market.
Legalization seems to be spreading as well, in other words, countries all around the world are re-examining their policies and changing them to accommodate sports betting. So, it’s possible that the user base will also continue to grow.
