History of Sportsbook and Sports Betting
Ever since the dawn of civilization, man has sought out fascinating new ways and ideas to gamble their money in the name of excitement and entertainment. The first recorded sportsbook activity dates back to the 1700s where Americans would wager bets on makeshift horse races, bare-knuckled boxing and cockfights. Who would have thought that in 300 years this concept would have grown and developed into a worldwide phenomenon, enchanting the daily lives of bettors across the globe regardless of creed or culture.
In a relatively short space of time, sportsbooks have evolved from sports betting in darkened alleyways and Las Vegas to the popular online gambling culture which we see in the modern world. The journey has been action packed and monumental in equal measures and the dramatic rise of online gambling has made sportsbooks available to everyone within the comfort of their own homes.
In some countries, gambling and sportsbooks are outlawed, and this has been the case in most nations at some point in their history. In this day and age, gambling is now socially accepted in most countries and plays a major part in the daily lives of millions across the planet.
Sportsbook gambling is the most intriguing of all, because of the varied amount of betting options available on every sporting event on the planet. Online sportsbooks have captured the imagination of punters, because you can wage a bet from your house, evaluating the relative statistics and options on the same website. The convenience and efficiency of online sportsbooks has revolutionized gambling as we know it, for the better.
The internet has influenced every aspect of our daily lives, none more so than in the gambling industry. Online gambling websites have taken sportsbooks into the modern age, providing more options and services for diverse sporting events across the planet. Not only has it become easier to place a wager, but the odds have also become more competitive and the statistics are two clicks away, making the study of the form so much easier than the past.
The online sportsbook industry has gone from rags to riches in the shortest possible time, with the sport betting industry raking in an estimated $63 billion dollars in 2003 alone.
The Free Trade and Processing Zone Act was passed in 1994, allowing online casinos and betting outlets to utilize the change in the laws and use the internet as a betting platform. Over the following years, software companies began to develop programs that made online gambling possible and efficient, changing the industry as we knew it forever.
The change in trends with increased broadcasting of major sporting events from TV stations have allowed bettors an unadulterated stream of live sports and opened up their betting options. This happy marriage between the growth of online sportsbooks and unprecedented live coverage of the events has made it more interesting and exciting to wager a bet on the outcome of a sporting event.
Where sportsbooks used to be restricted to boxing matches and horseracing, a brand new world of mass entertainment has allowed punters the opportunity to diversify their sports bets like never before.
Article from: http://www.mrsportsbook.com