Most popular sports for online betting
The world of sports betting is huge. It has hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. Sports betting is about 30-40 percent of the global gambling market. More than half a trillion sports bets are made worldwide each year. In the U.S., Morgan Stanley company predicts the betting market will generate $7 billion in revenue by 2025.
Today, betting covers all sports, and new niches like cybersports are growing fast in terms of a number of players. Please note that today bets are accepted not only by bookmakers but also by many casinos with classic slots, live casino games, and sports betting.
Most bets are placed on popular sports such as:
Soccer
Soccer is the biggest and most popular sport around the world, so it makes sense that it tops the list. Horse racing used to be at number one, but live betting has turned soccer betting into a monster. Every year in the UK, football bettors wager over £1 billion.
The only country where soccer is not the most popular discipline is the United States. In the US, the NFL is the absolute leader. In Australia and New Zealand, rugby rules. In Canada, the national sport in top of the betting charts is hockey.
Horse racing
It has been synonymous with sports betting for years. It is still a global giant and one of the few sports that can be bet on 24/7 around the world. Betting on horse races is estimated at more than 100 billion euros per year. Surprisingly, Japan is the largest market, followed by Great Britain and Australia. In the U.S., horse racing is a huge industry and it could become a dormant giant.
Tennis
This may come as a surprise to many, but tennis is the third most popular sport to bet on around the world. Live/in play betting began with 1×2 or who would win a set. Now you can bet on who will win a game, such a number of combinations makes tennis a very diverse sport for betting. Tennis tie breaks also make it convenient for betting with low odds. Live betting has become a major factor in the massive growth of tennis betting.
Golf
Over the past few years, golf has become one of the most popular types of sports betting. With 78 players at any given time and a variety of betting formats, it’s easy to see why this sport is so popular. Major events last over 3 days, and big tournaments – over 4 days. Add to that the number of players on the field, and you get a lot more options, odds and variable outcomes than in other sports.
NFL
In the United States, American football is likely to be the biggest sporting event for betting. The NFL and its culminating Super Bowl game are watched worldwide. And this betting market has unlimited potential and opportunity.
Rugby
Thanks to the emergence of many new member countries, the game of rugby has become one of the most popular sports in the world. There are now 30 countries playing rugby. Betting on a game with so many variables has made rugby one of the most popular sports to bet on.
Boxing / MMA
Boxing is another sport that has been associated with betting for many years. While it may have been overshadowed by soccer, tennis and golf, it is still one of the most popular. MMA is a relatively new sport, but thanks to the UFC’s reputation, betting on it is growing more and more.
Esports / Cybersports
The fastest growing sports market in terms of betting volume is cybersports. The growing popularity of cybersports is forcing bookmakers to adapt quickly or fall behind. While virtual racing has been around for years, other virtual sports have exploded in popularity in 2020. All major bookmakers offer various bets on cybersports matches. This growing popularity is rapidly increasing revenues for the entire sports betting industry.
If you know a certain area of sports well, you may like betting on gambling sites with live casinos or on special sportsbooks.
