Background
Gambling has been an age old tradition in the United Kingdom. It can be done in the form of casinos, sports betting and online gambling as well. The growth in the gambling has been significant. With the introduction of more and more casinos and more bookmakers or betting shops, it has clearly become a favourite activity for people in The Great Britain.
Sports’ betting is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the United Kingdom. It has had a huge history too. Nowadays, there is a huge market for betting on various competitive sports played in the United Kingdom. The betting is usually done on horse, greyhound racing and football. Sports’ betting is also done online which is very popular too. Additionally, bookmakers make a huge contribution to the UK economy. This contribution is worth more than 700 pounds annually in taxes. Moreover, it generates employment for many people.
History
Sport Betting and gambling have been in the UK for a long time now. They were in control until the 1960 act legalised off-course bookmakers as well. It is difficult to predict the origin date of sports betting since it has been in the UK for ages. So much so that even the Roman emperors took the pleasure of gambling. Moreover, at that time the games that were played could have very well entailed forms of gambling.
It gained more popularity as a form of betting in a one-time event of pedestrianism which can also be called as race-walking. This was one sport which was very popular in the early 19th century in England. It is from this sport only that modern sport betting became popular one again. The most popular sport for sport betting has always been horse racing. Although, it is one common and famous activity, there are many steps taken by the government to prevent race-fixing and other wrong activities that can be done in order to change the result of the game. The foundation of Amateur Athletic Association in 1880 proves the existence and practice of sports betting so much that such a body had to be formed.
Betting Shops
There are 8500 betting shops in England alone and all of them have been legalized since 1961. The legal and open betting in various sports makes UK one of the most popular destinations for the players as well as the bookmakers. The best part is that there is unrestricted and open internet betting market in the UK. Another exciting fact is that every football team in the Barclays Premier League has an official betting partner.
Sports betting
Sport betting is not only an interesting activity but also very common and exciting activity in the UK. The advantage is that it is legal to do sports betting. It has achieved a status where it contributes a lot in the taxes annually. It is not only fun but a major contributor in the economy’s growth as well. Moreover, the facilities which are provided further contribute in its numbers.