In decades gone by, the only way that a person could bet on football games, whether it was UK or US football, was to find your neighbourhood bookie and place your wager with them.  Eventually, legalised wagering became fairly standard in places like Atlantic City or Las Vegas in the US and different betting shops in the UK.  Today, football betting is conducted online as numerous sports books and betting exchanges have been developed and launched on the internet.

Online football betting has become quite commonplace today, but it has also been in existence longer than some sports bettors care to think about.  In the beginning, betting on football games would either transpire in a back alley or a local bar or pub.  It was the local “bookie” that usually cashed in on the individual’s wagers, and that local bookie was usually the only avenue for betting on football games.

Unfortunately, in those days, bookies carried the stigma of being tough guys who would inflict bodily harm if your bets weren’t paid off immediately after you lost.  This violent image that they carried eventually led to their downfall as well as punitive consequences for their violent behaviour.  At that point in history economies that were considered to be lawless, underground, and untaxed was something that governments considered illegal.  In fact, the US Government at one time banned gambling in every state except Nevada.

Fortunately, the football betting industry elevated to new levels of popularity with the advent of the internet in the mid 1990’s.  Today, it is the most convenient way to place bets on football games and online gambling is now a multi-billion dollar global industry.

Jul 05 2010