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sports betting

Sports betting is a hot topic in the United States today. After a historic overturn at a New Jersey Supreme Court last year allowing all states to legalize sports betting, many states are now making the first steps towards embracing this form of gambling into their system.

It is even strengthened further by a recent declaration of support from sports media including Turner Sports, Fox Sports and now, ESPN who announced recently that they will be partnering with Caesars Entertainment to build a studio at the LINQ Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas that will offer sports betting-related content across ESPN’s TV, social and digital platforms.

But sports betting has already been embraced by a lot of countries around the world including Canada where sports betting has been enjoyed by locals for many years. But what exactly is the landscape of sports betting in the world today? Let’s take a closer look at the countries where gambling is legal and where it’s not:

Argentina

The history of gambling on horses in Argentina dates back as far as the 1880s but there was a soccer betting system run by the government in 1971. It was banned, however, in 2018, but the country is now working on an online betting system that is set for approval after the World Cup. Horse racing continues to be legal in Argentina but only in designated betting agencies.

Australia

Australia is one of the best countries in the world for sports betting because you can bet on almost every sport and most events are played fair. On track racing was made legal in the country in 1810 and sports betting was legalized in 1980. In 2017, sports betting accounted for 25% of the money Australian’s gambled on and most of these wagers were for the rugby league and Aussie rules football.

Canada

Canadians have loved betting on sports for more than 600 years, and the country’s laws allow it for almost all types of sports. There was a time when horse racing was the only legal way to bet in the country, but as time went by, the government has legalized betting on all sports. Today, Canada only allows betting on sports through the Internet. If you want to bet on physical establishments, you are not allowed to do it on single sporting events.

India

Each state in India has separate legislations on gambling. While some states allow gambling through lotteries, casinos and horse racing, others ban these gambling activities altogether. Betting parlors are illegal in India but online gambling is unregulated except for Sikkim where there is a regulatory law on online gambling.

The Indian betting market is said to be worth $60 billion according to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce. 80% of this market is on cricket, the most loved sport in India.

Mexico

Mexico is another country that completely embraces gambling. Since 2004, every type of sports betting in Mexico has been legalized. In fact, betting advertisements are allowed in stadiums with the Tijuana soccer team being owned by Grupo Caliente, one of the biggest betting companies in the country.

South Africa

Gambling used to only be legal in the 1970s in some Apartheid “Homelands.” But since 1994, betting has been legalized for almost all sports and you can place bets on both betting parlors and online. Betting advertisements are also allowed and some domestic cricket teams are even sponsored by World Sports Betting, Hollywood Bets and SportPesa.

United Kingdom

Sports betting has been legalized in the United Kingdom since 1961 and since then, Football junkie betting sites and other betting shops have opened across the country. Since the people of the UK are into sports betting, it has been allowed for all types of sports and bets can be placed in both betting parlors or online. There are also no restrictions to betting in the country.

Betting can even take place in stadiums especially in major sports venues with gambling partners that operate in booths or have betting cashiers roaming around the stadium during the match. Sports betting is so popular in the country that its Gross Gambling Yield from April 2016 to March 2017 reached $18.7 billion according to the Gambling Commission. That is equal to $282.73 for every woman, man and child in the United Kingdom.

The future is bright for sports betting

With America joining the bandwagon in legalizing sports betting, there is an expected explosion of the industry in the coming years. And with the rest of the world also taking a step towards embracing sports betting, we can definitely look forward to a bright future for the industry.


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