02.06.2021 - The United Kingdoms’ gambling industry is one that can be considered unique in the gaming world, each year sees growth within the industry. Not many countries have year on year growth, but the United Kingdoms’ love affair with gambling is going strong. Over 45% of adults in the United Kingdom gamble in some form each month, and 65% are gamblers aged 21 or under. In 2019 the gaming industry in the United Kingdom reported that the Gross Gaming Yield (GGY) was 14.26 billion British pounds, or nearly $20 billion USD. A huge market that is being fueled by the rapid rise of online gambling, half of all gaming revenue in the United Kingdom comes from online gambling.
The World's Most Popular Sport, Football or Soccer
In the United Kingdom much like large parts of the world football is treated like a religion. From going to live games, watching in the local pub, or sitting at home. Almost every game of professional football is either broadcast live or the highlights will be available to watch via YouTube or some other streaming service. The Premier League is considered by many to be the strongest league in the world, attracting the world’s best footballing talent. And subsequently, a lot of money is gambled each week either in traditional bookmakers or increasingly online with the dozens of legally registered sites.
According to industry statistics, over 10 billion British pounds is wagered on professional UK football matches each year. Making it by far the largest betting market in the United Kingdom. It is not only the massive following that football has, it is also the unpredictable nature of the game. With clubs investing heavily each year in infrastructure, players, and coaching staff the difference of talent between the lower placed clubs and the top clubs has never been closer. In the 2015-2016 season one of the biggest upsets in football history occurred, Leicester City who had never won the top flight division claimed their first title in their 132 year history. As much as it surprised the football world, nobody was more shocked than the bookmakers. At the start of the season, Leicester City was 5000-1 to win the league, and some loyal supporters of the club had put money on, the bookmakers have never made that mistake again.
A United Kingdom Tradition, Horse Racing
Horse racing has a huge following in many parts of the world and the United Kingdom is no different. Each year horse racing in the United Kingdom gamblers places over 4 billion British pounds ($5.76 billion USD) on races, making it the second largest sports betting market in the United Kingdom. With world renowned annual horse racing festivals such as Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Aintree Grand National, the 2000 Guineas Stakes, and the St. Leger Stakes which started the same year as the Declaration of Independence was signed In the United States. Races and festivals like the ones mentioned, and many others, make horse racing almost as popular as football in the United Kingdom.
Horse racing can be complicated to bet on, not the actual placing of the bet which very easy, but you need to do 3 things first, and 1 thing after:
Betting on horses is immensely popular in the United Kingdom and all over the world because it is exciting and fun. Just try to remain calm and bet within your budget, the same as any time you gamble whether it is on poker or ruletti.
Tennis, it is Not Just For The Rich These Days
The United Kingdom is the birthplace of modern tennis, Wales in 1873 to be exact. Modern tennis is derived from a French game from the eleventh century sport called “Jeu de Paume”, a game played without a racket, instead the hands were used. Tennis has long been a popular recreation and sport, in the earlier years played almost exclusively by the rich. Now tennis in the United Kingdom is taught in sports classes in schools and almost every town has private and public tennis courts. Tennis betting has been changing over the last decade or so, with leaps in technology you now don’t just have to gamble on the winner, you can place live bets on individual sets and points, adjusting your betting as the match progresses.
Wimbledon is the most famous tennis competition in the world, and millions of pounds are bet on the 2-week tournament. With other major tournaments like The Fever-Tree Championships held at the prestigious Queens Club, Birmingham Classic tournament, tennis has amassed quite a loyal following in the United Kingdom not only with sports fans but gamblers also.
Summary
The United Kingdom has a love affair with sports and hand in hand, gambling also. British people are some of the most loyal to their sporting team or local individual athletes, but when good odds are on the table, loyalty can go out of the window.
