Sports betting is getting more and more popular on the online casino market. In North America, the largest sports betting market, the most popular game is American football. In Asia, many betting markets focus on cricket, baseball and basketball as their favorite sports.
We have compiled a list of the five most popular sports by volume of bets in recent years. At the same time, we’ve attempted to compile a list of which sports have the highest betting volume on this particular gambling platform. We have taken a look at the betting volumes for the following sports:
- Football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Horse racing
The five most popular sports in terms of betting volume are discussed below.
1. Football
Football is among the most popular sports worldwide. It’s the most popular sport for both men and women in the world. Though the World Cup happens every four years, the average number of football matches played during the season is approximately 320 per season. Football matches always have a lot of gambling possibilities to be derived from. Betting activity on online casinos with football as a theme has started to proliferate in the last decade.
The football season may be the most popular sporting event worldwide. Based on betting activity and online activity, football tops the list of most popular sports to bet on. The top game to bet on is the American football league’s Dallas Cowboys based on the current NFL season. More significantly, the most popular sports bettor by nationality is South Africa’s Jumaane White, which indicates a high betting population in his home country.
FIFA World Cup Football, which is the most popular sport in the world, is not the only sports that generate a lot of money from bettors and gamblers. In fact, with each new World Cup that comes, millions of gamblers and bettors turn to bet on the tournament.
2. Cricket
International cricket has become extremely popular since its latest addition, the Twenty20 Internationals, was added to the lineup in 2007. Currently, the total volume of bets placed on cricket matches and other matches involving India, England, Australia, and South Africa, worldwide reaches a total volume of US$ 3.4 billion. The cricket season starts during the months of September to June and ends in March every year.
The T20 Internationals, despite being new to the world of cricket, is still the most popular sport in terms of betting volume, thanks to the lower stakes involved in this competition. Only 5.4% of the total volume of bets in the cricket betting market comes from cricket bookies. In comparison, 78.8% of bets come from offshore betting operators.
3. Basketball
Basketball is the world’s most popular sport, with millions of fans in the US alone. Basketball is a popular spectator sport in most of the world. Many people watch basketball on TV or go to one of the many sportsbooks like pnxbet to bet on their favorite players. While there are many other basketball betting options in the US, NBA bettors are passionate about betting on the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers. Each sport has its own betting volume.
Basketball has been the most popular betting sport since 2008. The past five years saw the most bets placed on basketball on multiple casinos and online bookmakers. One reason for this may be that NBA basketball is one of the most popular sports for online casinos and sportsbooks.
4. Baseball
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the world. It’s the number one sport for bettors as well. As a matter of fact, it is the most popular sport that attracts money bettors from the USA, while soccer is the second favorite. In 2017, baseball was chosen as the favorite sport among bettors that gambled online during the baseball season. Baseball attracts gamblers due to its wide range of individual games that involve high adrenaline and intriguing matchups.
5. Horse racing
Given its global status, the activity on horse racing betting is quite popular among sports bettors. In fact, the total betting volume of horse racing betting worldwide is worth over $3.2 billion, according to Bloomberg. Horse racing is very popular in the UK. The UK is the biggest betting market of horse racing betting in the world, as the UK betting market alone is worth $5.8 billion. Other European countries such as Germany, Italy, and France are also major horse racing betting markets.
Conclusion on sports betting at online casinos
Sports bettors are likely to spend more than other bettors, especially during the summer and the winter sports seasons. For betting in real casinos, sports bettors are likely to offer the best odds. But, odds offered online casinos are almost the same as the high-profile sports in the United States.
But, sports bettors still prefer online casinos due to their popularity and the number of betting options. Our review of the best sports to bet on online casinos shows that bettors should seek to use the games with the biggest profit potential. For sports betting at online casinos, gamblers should use the games with the greatest interest in America and Europe.