The history of sports betting
They say gambling is the easiest way to get rich quickly if you are lucky. However, there is no need to remind how easy it is to go bankrupt.
Sports betting is one of the gambling forms and has been around for a long time. It started in Ancient Greece with Olympic Games, which were the biggest sporting event in the calendar. If watching chariot racing was not enough to feel the thrill, people could bet on a winner and use one of the slaves as a stake.
For centuries in the birthplace of modern bookmaking, United Kingdom, horse racing was considered a favourite sport and racecourses became the heart of gambling venues. During one of such races one English man, Harry Ogden, announced that he was taking every bet no matter the horse and is now recognised as first professional bookie due to the situation.
All events that took place have resulted in further development of bookmaking in the 19th century and made it become more popular within the time. In those times, The Government of the United Kingdom started to regulate this form of gambling and banned it in pubs, which led to the opening of betting shops run by bookmakers. Betting “boom” began. Bettors started opening new bookshops incredibly fast. The 1960’s Act legalised off-course bookmakers. Pool betting on horses is monopolised by The Tote. There are over 1,000 betting shops located in London.
Bookmaking in traditional form was already a successful business making a huge amount of money. In 1996 first betting website www.intertops.eu was introduced which revolutionised the gambling industry. The placing of wagers on sporting events over the Internet was very popular with gamblers all around the world. You can bet on any sport match, check current statistics or even place your bet during the game watching it on your TV.
Online betting became so simple that the increase of number of players was inevitable. As we can read on gambling.net/statistics.php an estimated 26% of the world's population gamble in any given year.
Online betting became so simple that the increase of number of players was inevitable. As we can read on gambling.net/statistics.php an estimated 26% of the world's population gamble in any given year.
First big win took place in 2008, Yorkshire, when a man won one million pounds for a stake of 50 pounds. The biggest sports betting win in Poland is 818 000 PLN. According to statistics in CNBC reportage video, last year the total amount of money that was bet on sports globally was more than $500B and total growth turnover was nearly $65B.
Without a doubt, sport betting is a big business which can be fun if used responsibly because gambling is highly addictive, especially nowadays when the access to online bookmakers is so easy.
Questions
• Have you ever made any sport bets?
• Can gambling be healthy?
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6daeJtpNjAI
https://freakonometrics.hypotheses.org/58041 https://najlepsibukmacherzy.pl/blog/infografika-o-bukmacherach-zakladach-bukmacherskich/
https://freakonometrics.hypotheses.org/58041 https://najlepsibukmacherzy.pl/blog/infografika-o-bukmacherach-zakladach-bukmacherskich/
https://www.ukbookmakers.org.uk/articles/history-of-betting-shops-in-the-uk/
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/08/17/30FFFCFD00000578-3437271-image-a-43_1454953250862.jpg
https://www.gambling.net/statistics.php
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/08/17/30FFFCFD00000578-3437271-image-a-43_1454953250862.jpg
https://www.gambling.net/statistics.php
Comments
2. It really depends on the person that is gambling. There are people that get too invested in it and the amount of stress they accumulate can be huge and even deadly. I heard about case that someone died from heart attack after they lost huge sum of money.
3. It shouldn't be illegal, but should be restricted for some people. If someone is diagnosed with gambling addiction they should be cut off from it, same goes for underaged kid's and people that have problems with the law.
Never in my life I personally believe that gambling won't ever give You profit as bookmakers existed long time ago and they still exist so if gambling hasn't had give them profit they wouldn't do it.
• Can gambling be healthy?
In my opinion no, our brains are programmed in a way that people won't ever know when they are addicted and starting to loose anormous amounts of money.
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
I believe that state shouldn't interfere in any way or stand against its own citizens, people have their own brains and can decide for themselves what is good and what is bad.
Nope, never. I wanted to try it one time, but I can't remember why i haven't done this.
• Can gambling be healthy?
Dunno. I think it depends on the person. In my opinion it's addicted. But if your will is weak then gambling won't be the only one thing that can harm your health
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
I agree with August Micota, we all have to think for ourselves, but in the same time i would make it illegal for the children, teens under 18.
I bet on different matches a few times, but on average I did, so I stopped. In addition to Sports bets, there are also e-sports bets in which I have participated many times but only in free ones: D
Can gambling be healthy? I think everything in our world is for people, but no one can overdo it. It's easy to get addicted to emotions.
I believe that gambling and many other activities should be legal. It's fun as long as you don't fall into addiction.
2. It depends if person can say stop and quit playing. There are some people who start losing they try to get back and put much more money. They won't stop playing until they break even. These situations can be unhealthy and can affect health negatively.
3. There are a lot of people who doesn't addicted to gambling. They can play and enjoy it. In my opinion gambling should be legal.
2. I think gambling can be healthy - but you have to be sensible. Thanks to gambling and betting, I learned how to minimize risk and manage resources. My father taught me a lot. He explained how this business works. However, he realizes that there are people who are heavily addicted to gambling - it is a serious disease that I think is incurable.
3. No, I think gambling should be legal. It's just a service/entertainment. Of course, it carries some risk, but we should not limit or prohibit gambling. Since everyone is of legal age, they should be responsible for their choices. If gambling is to be illegal, how to treat investing money in the stock exchange?
2. I think so. Everyone has a hobby, it is better to gamble in a controlled way than, for example, spend it on drugs. And the truth is that every hobby in too much is dangerous.
3. I think it should be completely legal, but it should not be promoted in the media. Similarly, with other things considered addictive like alcohol.
S20108
Yes, I used to bet on various sports. I managed to earn some money but also to lose money. Very risky.
2. Can gambling be healthy?
I think gambling is not healthy at all. It's hard to limit the game by yourself. To win you have to sit a lot.
3. Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
I think that gambling, like alcohol, should not be banned. Adults should be able to decide about their lives. Nirs kill anyone with it, so I don't think there is a need to limit them.
2. No, I think it is not healthy. It is addiction and peaople should watch out because the can loose a lot of money.
3. No. Gambling is simply a risky game where people can gain a lot and get addicted to it or lose a lot. However, this is not bad for society or for this particular person. I think it should not by banned or be illegal in any form.
2. I don't think so. Gambling may be addictive, cause frustration, anger, sometimes even ruin one's life by pushing him into debts.
3. No, I believe that people should be able to decide on their own. As I said before, gambling is addictive and may bring a lot of bad, but it's one's choice if he wants to do it or not.
No I have never made any sport bets
• Can gambling be healthy?
I don’t think gambling can be healthy and if you gamble too much it will even become harmful
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
I don’t think gambling should be illegal because as history show us when something is forbidden then there will be people that want to earn money from this illegally then they will create criminal organisation and voila we have criminal organization otherwise called mafia
Long time ago I used to bet small amounts of money on e-sports games. Actually in the end I won more than I lost but that was like 10% profit after 2-3 months of betting. I don't think I was particularly good at it. I was just lucky. However, when I think about it I have never planned to become rich thanks to gambling. It was more about thrill when watching a certain match, a bet would add more emotions. Nowadays I don't bet at all and I still watch some games from time to time.
• Can gambling be healthy?
It is hard to tell. Honestly I think it is hard to keep it in check. I think one of the rules you should introduce to yourself when you start betting is that you shouldn't bet money you can't afford to lose. I was always following this rule and even though I wasn't very happy when I lost my bets I was never really mad about it since money involved weren't significant.
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
Definitely for some people it should be. It should be only allowed for adults and probably needs to be regulated properly. Like for example there have to be some warnings before you bet about it's addictive influence etc.
2. It depends. There certainly are some people who find some kind of outlet in gambling. Problem is, they can quickly get hooked on this kind of “drug”.
3. It’s the same as with the alcohol – it’s not illegal, it just has an age restriction, hoping the adults can control themselves enough to not spend all their belongings on the booze. As we can see, not everyone is smart enough for this. Should it be banned? We have the examples of the Prohibitions in different countries – it doesn’t work. Should it be limited and controlled somehow? Maybe, but it’s not an easy task.
Never, but I forecast some matches and surprisingly my prediction becomes true
• Can gambling be healthy?
I don't think so, rather it can be harmful. Those people who likes gambling, they usually don't know in which moment suppose to stop and just getting big troubles with losses of money
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
It depends I think, for example there could be restrictions for certain type of bets. But anyway, nowadays many people take financial damage because of those bets and gambling.
1. Yes I have, though it was just once or twice in the highschool times, when all my friends were betting on football, so once I went with them and bet stunning amount of money(5 pln) - I didn't win anything of course.
2. I don't think so. Better question so ask if it is unhealthy :).
3. No it shouldn't be illegal. It may destroy ones life, but so can alcohol and yet it is legal.
If thing are done correctly gambling can be just fun alternative for earning a little money.
2. Healthy, wealthy, who cares. If you want to lose your money – just go and do it. There are many warnings on cigarettes, and is there anyone who was stopped by them?
3. No, it shouldn`t be illegal. The only one restriction – you must be an adult.
2. There are very divided opinions here. Some say that even trying to gamble leads to addiction, while others say that nothing like this happens. And that it all depends on our strong will and personality. My opinion is that a little bit of gambling has not hurt anyone yet.
3. As mentioned above, gambling should not be banned. However, there should be information and education about its effects.
2. People can do whatever they want to do. Some of them win a lot but others lose not only the money but friends, family.
3. No, because if there are people who want to spend money in a casino or making sports bets they can do it. Of course, their age has to be more than 18. It is even good because gamblers must pay taxes if gambling is legal like in Las Vegas.
2. Yes, gambling can be healthy. And certainly it is more healthy than running marathons which brings our body to the edge of endurance.
3. In my opinion, gambling should be allowed. Gambling as a source of income for the state (bet taxes) means that countries are developing faster and this allows the financing of sports teams.
Yes, I bet on the football matches of my national team. But this is not a frequent occurrence, as they do not play very often
Can gambling be healthy?
Well I don't really see anything healthy in that. Of course, when you get money for your victory it is fun and there is nothing wrong with it, but we know that gambling is built, so for the most part you lose, which leads to nervousness, stress and addiction, that in its turn make stress bigger. So I don't think it's healthy
Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
No. people like to play, especially they like to play for something. So we can't ban it because people will still play in secret. It should be simply limit the number of such games and control this process so as not to develop a gambling addiction in the population.
2. No, gambling may be unhealthy habit that may lead to psychical problems, my brother struggled with that.
3. In many countries, gambling is forbidden, i do believe that it should be at least restricted in some form
2. No, gambling can’t be healthy. If you ask me, I can only see disadvantages of such games. They only push you to spend huge amounts of money for gambling bets, which in fact very often are fixed, so your chance to succeed and win are null.
3. I couldn’t agree more. Gambling should be out of bounds especially for teenagers and young people in general. I think that people should have hobbies which enable self-development. Passion, people will benefit from in the future is something really valuable; unlike Gambling, which is unprofitable and only leads to addiction.
2. Definitely not, it can be addiction or just an occasional pleasure if you know your limit.
3. I’m not proponent of prohibit anything. If it started to be illegal it would be still available but underground and without any government inspection. In a limited way everything is for people.
No, never tried. There used to be a lot of people around me who were involved in this business, and they also offered me. But I never made a single bet. And in general, this is such a thing that does not depend on your skills. Luck, but you need to be aware of the area in which you bet. I do not think this is a useful thing. At least for now.
2. Can gambling be healthy?
I think gambling can be beneficial. For example, if you spend your free time with your friends playing one of these games, it’s not necessary for money, it is advisable to exclude them, but simply exchange emotions and during the game you can have an interesting conversation. I think this can help to relax and distract from the daily routine.
3. Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
A moot point of course. In general, maybe not, but you need to keep the gambling business and everything connected with it under control. At a minimum, restrictions need to be introduced in order to prevent this business from managing people. Usually a large number of people get out of their control. Therefore, this is the sphere of life that needs to be monitored and controlled.
Actually yes, but only on horse rides. I have been few times at Służewiec and did some betting everytime I went there. Unfortunately I always leave poorer than I was before, but I am not playing high stakes so the fun is worth it.
• Can gambling be healthy?
I am sure that it might be unhealthy, but I can't imagine any scenario where it is healthy. Sure, winning lots of money is great but wealth has nothing to do with health. You can score huge amounts of cash, but that's what actually causes it to be unhealthy - weak possibilty of winning which seems to be in a reach of a hand.
• Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
If done properly gambling can be just a another way of having fun. I am far from thinking that we should ban gambling. It is hard but its possible to stay away from getting addicted you just have to know when to stop the whole thing and calculate what's worth it and what's not.
2. I think not. But of course if it’s one situation per year or something like this, it don’t have to be unhealthy
3. No, It shouldn’t be illegal. There should be less places with machinery to play, but card and sport shouldn’t be illegal.
2. I guess anything can be in some point. But you can't forget what it was invented for. People who even make it and win from time to time, are likely to forget it's mostly made to bring profits. And it's mostly possible to cost you more then you could ever win. It can make you easily frustrated and can cause addiction but not for everybody.
3. I think it should be illegal in any form for minors. When it comes to adults I believe it's their own decision however, it should be first more firmly announced as a possible addiction.
2)It depends on what is to be considered "healthy". I guess if you abstain from betting any sum that could result in you being financially harmed, then at least it is not dangerous. But in that case, would it even be fun? If not, then what is the point? And finally, even if it is not unhealthy, the fact that someone does gambling means that at least in that particular moment, the person in question preferred gambling to any other possible way to entertain himself or herself. Which is a rather disturbing just by itself.
3)I don't think the state should concern itself with private matters of its citizens.
Interesting point of view and I have to agree with you. Bookmakers, casinos, all of them always win on the long distance.
2. I can't imagine any situations when gambling can be "healthy". It can be normal and non-addictive if you cold minded and bet without emotion influence. But in most cases, it's bad and can be addictive for the average person.
3. Let it be as it is but with some new rules. Something like: if your losses exceed a certain amount of money you will be banned for one months from every bookmaking platform.
I agree that betting even small amount of money increase emotions you experience during watching a game.
What about mental health? I think gambling can make some radical changes in our brains.
Well, it sounds like a very interesting proposal about limiting amount of money you can lose, although it would be very hard to implement this idea.
2. Everything is for people and if you don't overdo it you can play with it.
3. In my opinion, it should be legal, if someone exaggerates, it's his matter, if someone knows moderation, let him have fun.
No, I'm glad I've never made any sports bets. I'd be much more interested in a lottery than in sports betting. I don't watch football or hockey. I don't follow the sports news, so I'm not interested in betting on sports.
2) Can gambling be healthy?
I do not think so. Gambling is addicting. It's like alcohol or cigarettes for me. That's why my answer is no. But, it is only my opinion.
3) Do you think gambling should be illegal in any form?
I think it might be legal if people are having fun. And if it's a business where someone suffers and gets addicted, it shouldn't be legal.
2. I think not. It's addiction, just like cigarettes or alcohol.
3. I believe that banning is never a good option. People should be educated and help those who have a problem.
2. I know that there are professional cappers, but this is a different story. Usually, it will end by losing all your money, I believe.
3. Don't see any reasons why it should be illegal. Everybody makes their own decisions.