If there’s one thing that is hard to ignore in this world, it is sports. Over the past several years especially, sports, and subsequently sports gambling, have become even more popular. It is hard to go anywhere without hearing someone talking about it, or seeing it on the TV. It seems that sports are really starting to hit their peak, with more people interested in it than ever before. But just how popular are sporting events, and what impact are they having on other related industries?
The fact that sports are getting more popular each year is hard to argue. One just has to look at the revenue for the 4 major sports leagues – the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB, and see that they are increasing each year. This just goes to show that more and more people are being drawn into the games each and every year. Need more proof? Take last year’s Super Bowl as a perfect example. It was the most watched event in television history. And no, not just the most popular sporting event, but the most popular event period. Over 114 million people turned in for this game, which was 2 million more than the next highest. And what event was that? The Superbowl from the previous year. Yes, sports are fairly popular in the United States.
As sporting events become more popular, more and more people want to bet on them. While gambling in the US is still largely illegal for many sports and events, people tend to still find a way to place money on their favorite teams. And if they can’t place bets on their favorite teams, they will turn to other events just so that they have something to gamble on. Events like the Kentucky Derby draw in millions of people who like to place bets on a horse, just for the excitement of a two minute race, with over $130 million dollars was bet on this years derby alone. Sports offer a different experience than traditional betting games, and it makes it worth the extra effort people have to go to bet on them. Traditional games are usually easier to find, for example you can play poker with real money now online or in person, and yet people still flock to sports gambling when they can.
A perfect example of just how popular sports and sports gambling has grown is the rise of Fantasy Sports. Fantasy sports allows people to compete in leagues with their friends, in which they see who can put together the best “roster”. It allows players to act like they are in charge of their own team, and pits them against their friends. Fantasy sports is a new way for fans to engage with their favorite sports, and it has ballooned to an unbelievable size. There are countless websites dedicated to it, dozens of TV shows, and the sports leagues themselves try and promote it is much as they can. This entire industry arose from the simple passion for sports and sports gambling.
As you can see, there is no question that the popularity of sports and sports gambling is peaking. Each year more people are drawn into it, and it is hard to avoid it no matter where you go. All recent signs say that there is no slowing down of this trend, and sports, and gambling on them, is going to be very popular for years to come.
