Football is not one of the most popular sports when thinking about sports betting. It is THE most popular sport, betting-wise. In fact, football is said to accumulate the biggest share of total bet volumes across the globe, where there are millions and millions of fans, regardless of the country they live in.
It is no surprise that Europe leads the way in all this. Europe is definitely the biggest betting market when it comes to football. European countries such as the UK, Spain, France and Italy among others are top betting markets for football lovers. And with the internet becoming the main channel of distribution, betting sites are experiencing tremendous growth driven by online football wagering. Online bookmakers in Italy, for instance, saw their revenues being largely retained due to bigger football betting revenues (along with other gambling activities), when other sports betting markets recorded decline.
What makes football such an interesting and attractive sport for betting?
It is interesting…
First of all, football is such an interesting sport to bet on simply because it is also such an interesting sport to watch. It is no coincidence that football enjoys the greatest popularity among all sports and is loved by so many people from all over the world.
So, an interesting thing to watch is also an interesting thing to engage with. And fans can engage with a game when they can live all the action, make predictions and feel all the enthusiasm that is generated with betting.
It is unpredictable…
Second, football can be unpredictable even if this might not be obvious or apparent when looking at the speed at which a match is running. We have seen too many times games turning around in the last minute of a match, underdogs winning big favorites, sleeping giants waking up unexpectedly and many many more unanticipated events taking place in football.
An unpredictable sport is a lucrative market for bettors. Why? Because, there are so many different events to wager on and even small bets can eventually pay off big when everything is fluid and can indeed change in the very last minute of a match.
It offers many opportunities…
There is no single day that you can find with no football matches taking place. The thing is that not only are there football events every day, but there are many football events each day, which means that bettors can hardly ever stagnate!
Too many different betting markets, options, events and of course opportunities to win are out there for football punters. From the smallest competitions to the highly popular, big football leagues and from small scale football events to large scale championships and tournaments, there is literally no way a bettor won’t find interest in wagering.
There is always something to bet on. From the winner of a match, to the total score and from the first scorer to the number of goals scored by each of the teams! And these are not the only options, they are only a very small part of what bettors can find in online sportsbooks’ offerings.
It is easy to understand…
Football is a sport that has comprehensive rules, easy to understand structure and this makes it easier to follow. Being so clear and straight-forward makes it also more attractive to bet on, especially for fans that want to engage with a match, let's say.
But it is not only fans who are attracted by the sport’s simplicity. Being easy to understand makes it an enticing choice for punters overall, even for those who are not devoted fans of the specific sport or for those who have no prior experience and knowledge over football.
Bottom line
These and many more are the main reasons that make football such an interesting, attractive and lucrative sport for betting. It is an exciting sport to bet on, just as it is an exciting sport to watch.
