The origin of this activity dates back to Ancient Greece, where more than 2,000 years ago, people organized sports competitions among themselves and turned betting on the victory of those they considered athletes into a profit opportunity. During this time the practice of sports was enjoyed so much, that for that reason the Greeks decided to turn these spaces shared by fans and competitors into the world-renowned Olympics.
Under that Greek heritage, in Italy the Romans adopted these sports activities and turned them into a business, giving a more important place to betting and entertainment through chariot races (the chariots of the time), animal fights and a competitive practice between men on death row and wild animals known as gladiator fighting.
However, the evolution of this type of game came at the end of the 18th century when sports betting emerged with horse and greyhound racing.in the United Kingdom, whose interest among the public made it consolidate as another leisure activity that generated employment and large investments. All this British hegemony in the gambling sector was maintained until the 20th century, including more sports such as football, one of the most attractive to bet on.
Years later, other European countries began to establish physical establishments known as casinos, where the public could enjoy a wide range of games of chance to bet on, in addition to sports. This caused the billing rates of the sector to grow considerably and its popularity to expand to the United States and Latin America.
Internet revolutionizes sports betting
In the 21st century, the betting houses and casinos that continued to emerge achieved greater acceptance among the people, allowing a large market to develop around them. In addition to this, the arrival of the Internet in the 90s made it possible to connect games and sporting events worldwide with these digital spaces that opened up the possibility for players to place bets from any device with a connection and without having to leave home.
In this way, the industry has continued to expand the multiple options to earn money throughout history to attract millions of people around the world to want to try their luck.
