Football Betting Statistics For 2021
Before we discuss football betting statistics for the previous year, we briefly examine the history and roots of sports betting. According to most experts and historians, sports betting originates from Ancient Rome.
Ancient Romans were avid gamblers, so there is no wonder why the very first sports bet was placed on either Gladiator fights or chariot races. While sports betting was very popular among Romans, only the city of Rome offered sports betting activities.
While sports betting and gambling activities have been around for many years, they were usually kept out of bigger sports events. Modern sports betting activities you get to enjoy today were popularized back in the eighteenth century.
Back in the day, betting on horses was leading the way especially in Europe. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, many countries, such as Canada, New Zealand, and the United States had formed gambling laws and regulations.
At the same time, not much was done in terms of sports betting legality until the advent of the Internet that changed it all. Fast forward to 2022, sports bettors across the globe have numerous different sports betting sites to join.
The best bookmakers for football have no shortage of impressive bonuses and promotions and excellent betting odds. With this being said, football sports betting remains the most popular form of online betting activity.
Football Sports Betting Across the Globe
Back in 2020, the sports betting industry on a global scale reached a staggering market value of over US$203 billion according to the data collected by Statista. The same report also revealed that over 30,000 businesses operating in the global sports betting industry employs over 197,000 people.
The popularity of sports betting, especially football sports betting, has been on the rise for the last several years. The popularity of sports betting is expected to grow even further across all jurisdictions in which sports betting is legal.
According to the latest reports on the growth of the sports betting industry as published by Mordor Intelligence, the global online sports betting industry is expected to grow at a rate of 10.1% in the two next years.
When it comes to football sports betting in 2021, its popularity skyrocketed with the UEFA European Championship which started on the 11th of June and latest until the 11th of July. One of the biggest football events was scheduled for 2020, but the event was postponed due to the Covid-19.
Football fans across the globe watched as twenty-four teams competed for the shiny trophy. In the end, Italy won its second title after defeating the national team of England in the Finals.
The popularity of football sports betting also skyrocketed just before the Champions League kicked off on the 22nd of June.
The first stage of the sixty-seventh season of the UEFA Champions League offered ninety-six amazing matches over summer 2021. Chelsea won the Champions League title after defeating Manchester City in the final game. Amazing Kai Havertz was the man of the game after leading his team to European glory.
In 2021, DraftKings and FanDuel dominated the online sports betting market in the United States. In Europe, Bet365 and 888 Sport were the ultimate leaders. Ladbrokes and Sykbet dominated the UK online sports betting scene.
In 2021, football was the most popular sport among sports bettors, followed by tennis and horse racing. In the United States, the online sports betting scene was dominated by the NBA, MLB, and NFL.
Legal football betting most certainly boomed in 2021 In Europe, and the latest projections suggest, its popularity will grow bigger in the months to come. Football sports betting fans are anxiously awaiting the FIFA World Cup that kicks off on the 21st of November.
Image: Pixabay
