Sports have always existed, and so has sports betting. Even our ancestors from ancient Greece and the Roman Empire enjoyed betting on Olympic Games, chariot races and gladiator fights. Today we are in the digital age and betting on websites is very different than it was back then, but fundamentally sports betting has made such a journey over thousands of years. In this article, we’ll tell you seven exciting facts about the history of sports betting that you probably didn’t know before.
The history of sports betting goes back to ancient times
People have been betting among themselves since ancient times. This is where the interest lies, because betting stimulates interest and determines the winner. Sports betting has an ancient history, starting with the ancient Greeks and Romans who bet on Olympic Games and gladiator fights. In the past there were no betting shops, so bets were made on site.
Even the ancient Egyptians loved gambling
As is well known, sports betting is a form of gambling. And there is evidence that as early as 1573 BC. BC had gambling.
The home of modern sports betting is the United Kingdom
The history of modern sports betting only began in Great Britain in 1790. At that time, the winnings in horse racing also began. The profit was calculated according to a simple principle: the odds were set for a specific horse. It wasn’t until 1850 that the first betting shop opened in London.
Anyone could make predictions about sporting events. Instead of the bookmakers’ forecasts, leaflets with possible results were distributed to the houses. In 1886, Ladbrokes, the famous British bookmaker, was founded.
France was also one of the countries in Europe where sports betting experienced its boom
In 1887, the French Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the Union des Sociétés Françaises des Sports Athlétiques. It was Union of Sports Clubs, and it was the right step in the development of sports and sports betting in France.
Horse racing played an important role in the development of sports betting
The French and the British are considered pioneers in this area. The British believe that horse racing is the national pride of the British. According to the majority, the development of modern betting came from them. The French, in turn, are sure that it was they who began accepting bets on horse racing before anyone else. The first time this happened was on May 15, 1651 in the Bois de Boulogne Forest.
The history of betting shops is not as long as you might think
The very first betting outlets in the world appeared only in the 17th century. They became intermediaries between players and offered the opportunity to bet on sporting events such as football, basketball, tennis and others. Over time, betting outlets spread around the world and became more and more popular.
New digital technologies are drastically changing the sports betting sector today
Technology plays an important role in the development of sports betting. For example, artificial intelligence is used to better analyze data and make more accurate predictions. Furthermore, the integration of sports betting with new technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality promises to take the betting experience to a new level.