Sports betting and boland cricket are now more popular than ever. This is partly due to the development of the Internet, which allows players to easily place bets on all sports around the world. Sports betting has a long tradition.

Betting means different things to many people: from an economic point of view, it has meanwhile developed into an important branch of the professional sports business. The government treasury can also show high annual revenues. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2016 alone, tax revenue for the federal states from racing rates and lotteries amounted to 1.8 billion euros. However, for sports lovers, it can be an interesting pastime.

How popular is sports betting?

Organized soccer betting first appeared in 1948. The state fine (Toto) bet has been unmatched for over 40 years. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of the Internet, many private online providers have sprung up. About 10.4 million people are betting-savvy. Their annual turnover is around 3.3 billion euros. Of course, sports betting has its roots in human history. But where did the desire to make money for sporting events come from? Where did sports betting start?

Why sports betting?

There are certainly many reasons people place bets on sports events. However, upon closer inspection, several explanations that are relevant then and now can be filtered out:

-the ability to make money quickly without much effort,

- to increase the excitement of a sporting event,

- a slightly darker aspect is associated with gambling addiction, which usually begins at a young age.

Reasons that probably also explain why sports betting has gone through almost the entire history of professional sports.

Ancient sports betting

The Olympic Games are undoubtedly one of the largest, most traditional and popular sporting events in the world. According to historians, this happened every four years from 880 to 393 BC. And even so, players are said to be placing bets on their home and yard to cash in on this big event quickly. Experts estimate the beginning of this form of organized sports betting in 676 BC, that is, during the 23rd Olympic Games.

Gladiator betting

Competitive games were no stranger to the ancient Romans. For this, gladiatorial fights were ideal. We only know about violent competitions of this kind on television or in films. What may seem barbaric to people today was quite normal between 264 BC. and V century AD. Unsurprisingly, the upper class also made big bets to make the spectacle even more exciting. The same was true for the imposing yet dangerous chariot races of the day, most of which probably should still be known from the classic Ben Hur movie.

Sports betting on horse racing

Horses also played an important role in the further history of sports betting: the British in the 18th century were also not against majestic animals, but especially from the money that could be earned from them. To make these equestrian competitions and the related bets more challenging, but all the more exciting, new variations have been introduced. Thus, players could already place bets not only on possible winners, but also on the potential outcome of the entire race. The so-called gallop race also became more and more popular, so that here, in 1810, for the first time, bets were placed on the outcome of the race.

When did soccer betting start?

One of the most popular sports, of course, is football, on which bets are also willingly made. Major events such as, in particular, the European or World Championship always attract new betting fans. Sports became really popular in Europe only at the end of the 19th century. When it comes to betting, England was sort of a pioneer again and started doing so in 1921. After World War II, the sport also gained in popularity and eleven betting and tote were introduced, which means betting on 11 Football matches became possible. However, the emphasis was placed not only on the profit of the players, but also on additional financial support for the sport itself.

Bookmaker creation

Although betting was common in England for some time, it was not legalized until 1853. The bookmaker profession gradually gained recognition and the first bookmaker Ladbrokes was founded in 1886. Many sports bets, such as horse and dog racing, can now also be negotiated professionally. Of course, other betting providers were added later, such as William Hill, a bookmaker founded in 1934 and still famous today.

A revolution in sports betting in Europe

The betting boom soon spread to other European countries, so that more and more bookmakers or so-called bookmakers could open new ones and do business. At that time, tickets were sent to buyers by mail. Unthinkable these days. Several of these providers still exist today and have even survived the entry into online business. This happened in 1996 and revolutionized business and industry. More and more suppliers are pouring in and continuing to enter the market today, and potential customers have to choose between them.

What are the biggest betting scandals?

Of course, like any other lucrative business, the bookmaker sometimes attracts scammers. However, there are betting scandals that stand out from the crowd and do not quite contribute to the development of the respective sport or betting industry. Here are some of the more capacious and curious examples:

1919 - Black Sox: American baseball definitely has a rich history. One of the biggest scandals came when the impoverished professional players of the Chicago White Sox allowed the Mafia to pay to lose to their opponents. Players were banned from participating in the professional league for life.

1976 - Derendorf Prize: At the rather minor races in Düsseldorf, two jockeys, Manfred Cosmann and Peter Remmert, deliberately stepped back to influence the race result. Three days later, they confessed to fraud, and they were banned from sports for two years.

2007 - NBA referee scandal: American Professional Basketball League referee Tim Donaghy himself bet on the games and passed on important information to the Mafia. He had to go to jail for 15 months and recover from gambling addiction.