What Is More Popular: Football or Online Gambling?

Rapid technological development brings changes to all aspects of our life, and sports - online and offline - are not an exception. For the last decade, grown so much and gained such extreme popularity that today many people even wonder what is more popular - football(one of the top worldwide watching sports) or online gambling? 

In 2022, the gambling business on the Internet occupies one of the leading places among the most significant economic drivers in the world. And it doesn't matter what casino you are searching for - online casino with a $20 minimum deposit or the best possible sports betting options. The upgrades and changes that have taken place in the field of gambling, in particular regarding technology, have made this field almost dominant in the entertainment market.  

What is more, with the boost of tech progress, today you can bet on sports events involving people and on those simulated by a computer. For instance, now bettors have the opportunity to bet not only on real events but also on virtual races, as well as matches and leagues, including sports such as football, baseball, or hockey. That is why many successful gambling operators choose v-sports for their business. 

Football VS Gambling - Real Example 

Let's see a real example of one of the top 3 countries where football is the most popular sport - Italy. But, even there, gambling has become more popular if we operate on statistics and numbers. Online gambling today is the second most attractive form of gambling after video poker in Italy, according to a study by the Technical University of Milan. In general, the year-by-year growth of money spent on online gambling is around 15 million euros. And if we compare these numbers to the football stadium ticket revenues - they are three times more. 

The peak of this growth, of course, was in the previous decade, when it became possible for players to use any platform, including smartphones and tablets, and after the introduction of online slots for the broad public. But even though the growth has slowed today, it is still progressing day by day.  

Can Football Survive Without Gambling?  

Well-known gambling journalist Brett Forrest cited the following figures in his book "The Big Fix." In the year of the previous World Cup, sponsorship deals across the entire football industry, including the white betting market, totaled US$25 billion. Interpol claimed that the amount of illegal betting on football matches that year amounted to 1 trillion US dollars, that is, 40 times more. Gray Asian bookmakers unofficially called an even higher amount. Over the past years, football has only become as popular as it was. Still, the segments of mobile online and cryptocurrencies have grown much more significantly, making it easier to place bets.  

Without gambling in the form of bets, football would hardly have been as popular. Thus, without the gambling vertical, the world will be different, so this is not a short-term topic. Casinos and other gambling games, being neighboring gambling segments, are inextricably linked with sports betting. Therefore, the transition of a player betting on sports events to the site's " casino " section is a favorable outcome for the operator.  

To sum up, football in its modern form, with its huge stadiums, football fields, football idols, and fans, as well as live broadcasts, has reached its current popularity for one reason only. Because somewhere out there, they deal cards, rotate slots, change the odds in the lines and accept bets all over the planet 24/7. Gambling without football will not disappear, and football, at its present level, is unlikely to survive without gambling.  

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