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Whenever betting is associated with any kind of sport, it tends to spark controversy. When sports betting first really got going in the early 20th century, it was targeted mostly at sports like greyhound racing and horse racing.
This was commonly seen as being just another way of earning some extra money whilst having fun at the same time. Eventually, the whole activity of sports betting became quite serious. Smart punters started to realise that making strategic bets could help them make some decent profits, and as a result, sports betting took off for a wide range of sports types.
Football quickly became a hugely popular betting sport with its year-long schedule giving punters plenty of options for making some wagering profits. However, betting on football was considered to be illegal until the 1960s, and those betting on football matches had to do it secretly.
Legalised football betting comes to the UK
Football gambling was finally legalised in the UK with the passing of the 1960 Betting and Gambling Act. However, there were several strict rules and regulations that accompanied the newly legalised Betting Act. Betting was only made possible in registered betting shops that were advised to tint their windows to attract minimal customers and feature little in the way of advertisements.
Football betting saw massive a rise in popularity when Sky Sports acquired the rights to screen Premier League matches in 1992. This increased the possibility to bet more on games and it leads to a rise in the numbers of betting shops which, in turn, increased the amount of in-store advertising.
However, things really got going in the 21st century when online betting took over traditional betting options but with plenty more convenience. However, there were many concerns raised about the safety of online sports betting. As there were so many online websites that offer football betting, it quickly became hard to recognise a genuine betting website.
Conflicts between betting and match-fixing
However, the sports world has yet to overcome the troublesome match-fixing issue, and many people think that betting is related to this phenomenon. Match-fixing is completely illegal and it involves buying out a player or team in the hope that they can control the end result of the game.
As a result, there are plenty of people who have been concerned about punters attempting to fix matches so as to win more with their sports bets. Despite these justified concerns, it’s also true that the majority of punters enjoy football betting in a way that’s mostly harmless. What separates betting from match-fixing is the fact that by taking a bet you are depending entirely on your personal analysis and luck.
