Find Out More About Sports Betting Origins

Sports betting is widely considered to be the first kind of betting to ever take popularity. While growing considerably in the last three decades, we don’t often consider the history of sports betting.  With a rich history dating back further than most people would realise, its apparent that sports betting has always been a great hobby for people and will likely continue so for as long as we still play sports.

Where It Started

It would be impossible to pin down an exact starting point to the first sport betting. As far as the historians point, at the time betting was likely against the law and was as such not very well documented or recorded at the time. To historians best data the first form of sport betting started in Greece and was primarily done so on horse racing. While there is some claim to betting existing on original physical sports like running or fighting, there is very little in the way of evidence to back it up. Historians point that betting was originally likely a game for the nobility but there is cause to believe peasants would partake in betting in a more private manner as it was likely outlawed at the time.

Hellenistic Period

From the humble beginnings in Greece, the first proper and verifiable records of sports betting can be found from Rome during the late Hellenistic period, while there are no defined dates recorded, it is believed to be around the +-50 BC range. Betting in this time was likely simple wagers of winners or survivors, With the two predominantly recorded sports being chariot racing and gladiator fights. It is safe to assume that if https://mobilebetting.kiwi/iphone/ betting did exist in these two bigger sports, it was likely common ground in other sporting events of the time as well. While it seems that betting may have been reserved for those of noble class, many speculate that betting was popular among the lower classes as well

Underground Era

Sports betting faced many challenges over the years, the biggest of which was likely during the mid to late middle ages (1400-1550). The times of kings and queens were still ongoing, but started to take a more governmental approach, with kings surrounding themselves with people to aid in guiding of the people, which started religion having a rather large effect on running countries. The vast majority of religion at the time had a very antigambling stance which forced any sport betting to take place underground. Yet, through this difficult period, Sports betting continued to grow. Not only did it grow in areas where it already existed, but with the introduction of new sports spreading the world, sports betting spread too.

Sports Bets We Know

The first iteration of sports betting that seems even remotely like our own took place in England in the 1600 to 1700 period, mainly on horse racing. This is widely considered the true birth of sports betting, Where the betting could be fun and most anybody could join. From England the new betting spread across the world. The rest is history.