Betting on sports games has been a long running tradition in many countries around the world. The combined excitement of a favourite sport, plus the possibility of winning money, is something that appeals to many people, for obvious reasons. The act of betting on sports can be traced back almost as long as sporting events themselves, with bets being made on gladiator fights in the ancient Roman coliseum, and even prior to that. Today, of course, bets are far more likely to be made on sports such as football and baseball.
There have been various laws made about bet making across the world, with some countries restricting it or outright banning it, while other countries have created strict regulations that keep bet making under tight wraps. In modern times the majority of bookmakers operate via the internet, which provides a convenient means to place sports bets for bettors around the world. The vast majority of online bookmakers are licensed and operate legally, which is tightly regulated by authorities. There is little chance of running into an illegal bookmaker online, and those that are operating illegally are quickly shut down.
Illegal Sports Bettingfantasy
In previous times illegal or unscrupulous bookmakers were a great deal more prominent, and caused much trouble in the sports betting scene. Bookmakers who did not follow the rules, or accepted bets and disappeared never to give due payouts, were more common than some people think. As the industry evolved and became more tightly watched by governments, however, the instances of this happening have all but been completely stamped out. The rising of online bookmakers is one of the reasons for this, since an online entity is a great deal easier to regulate and keep track of.
There have even been cases of large scale collusion between sports teams and bookmakers, such as in 1919, when the World Series was embarrassed by a sports betting scandal so large that many were dumbstruck. Again, such cases are far less common in modern times, and sports are so well regulated that such collusion is near impossible.
Modern Sports Betting
Today, with the power of the internet and mobile technology, virtually everyone has a mobile betting station sitting in their pocket. Placing a legal sports bet can be done in just seconds of time, and given that there are so many reputable bookmakers operating online, a modern bettor has a previously unheard of level of control and options. In days of old finding competitive odds was a case of having to be well connected in the sports betting world, where as today a bettor may simply browse multiple websites and pick the best option.
More so, with so many online bookmakers in direct competition with one another, the odds offered are often extremely generous. Getting involved in sports bet making is as easy as surfing at sports betting sites in NZ, or downloading an application directly onto a smart phone. Most internet bookmakers provide free applications for both iPhone and Android, and support the majority of sports and online Crown Oaks betting, both mainstream and more obscure.