The internet, it was once thought, was all about porn and funny cat videos. But in the last 10 years or more those two online activities have been joined by a third, possibly bigger, pastime. Gambling.
The number of websites offering some kind of gambling service – from sports betting through online casinos to plain old bingo – has risen exponentially. It began with the big boys, the likes of Ladbrokes, William Hill and others, but they were soon joined by the smaller bookies such as PaddyPower and BetFred. Newer, less traditional gambling companies have cropped up too. Think Bet365, 888Casino and FoxyBingo.
In 2012 the £2 billion barrier was broken in the UK with sports betting making up 50% of that total gambled. Football, of course, represents the biggest chunk – and growth – of that sector. The ability to bet ‘in-play’ has increased expenditure on football betting from £355m in 2009/10 to £600m last year.
The overall growth in online gambling has been boosted by the ability to play on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and the range of different types of gambling available, as mentioned above, has made it even more appealing to the consumer.
Originally the likes of Ladbrokes and William Hill offered the opportunity to bet on horse racing and football and little else. Indeed, sports betting at William Hill online was one of my own pastimes. But now they’ve increased the range of sports you can bet on – and the number of countries too – and added casino gaming, some live, so the temptation for the consumer is to try them all.
A Dangerous Game?
Gambling has long been thought of as an ‘evil’ pastime, one that ruins lives, destroys relationships and breaks up families. Gambling addiction is a very real illness. So does this growth in online gambling – and the ease of access – make this even more true?
There’s two problems with this, however. Firstly, it’s up to the individual to set the limit…or not at all, as is more likely with the gambling addict. Secondly, hit the limit on one site, you can simply go to another one. And you won’t run out of sites before you run out of money.
Online gambling is only set to grow more. As more markets open up, more mobile devices are bought and access becomes even easier the only way is up for this industry.
It’s a really enjoyable pastime for those with self control or the budget to play. Whether it’s sports betting, online poker, casino games like blackjack and roulette or even the humble bingo game, there’s something for everyone. £2 billion in 2012 will look like nothing in 10 years time.
And that’s only the UK. In China and the Far East online gambling is growing even quicker. Despite gambling being illegal in many US states plenty play from home on foreign sites, making it almost impossible to prosecute, Europe as a whole enjoys a growing betting community and the rest of the world is slowly catching on.
William Hill, Ladbrokes and the rest are sitting on a veritable goldmine.
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Ben Greenwood
Ben is the founder and editor of TechDrink. A huge fan of technology and social media, he has been blogging on those and many other subjects for well over five years. You can follow him in many places, including Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
Latest posts by Ben Greenwood (see all)
- The Growth of Online Gambling Sites - September 5, 2013
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