One of the fun things about human nature is that no matter where we live, what our cultural backgrounds are, or how we were raised, citizens of every country in the world tend to share the same general “tastes.” This can be seen particularly in what some might label as “vices”; those activities that could cause us problems if we do not monitor them carefully. Drinking, smoking, and having fun are some of the things that human cultures throughout history have been involved in in one way or another.
Another example of a worldwide phenomenon that indicates the human condition is the enormous popularity of sports betting. Betting on the outcome of competition has been a part of every human society in the world since people began to realize that some of us were better at some things than others. It is a trend that continues today.
With the rise of online bookmakers, sports betting is making more money than ever around the world. It is truly the Golden Age of sports gambling. Let’s take a look at the most popular sports in the world for people who like to spice up the game with a bet.
orFootball: No, we are not talking about quarterbacks and kickoffs here. Instead, we are talking about good old football. It’s called soccer everywhere in the world, with the exception of two North American countries (we’ll get to that in a moment). Plus, it’s the most popular sport in the world and unsurprisingly that means more people are betting on soccer than any other sport. International competitions, national, professional and amateur leagues receive bets totaling billions each year!
orHorse racing: One of the most important things about horse racing betting is that it is legal in all developed countries. Even the governments of Canada and the United States allow betting on the race track, in large part because they are guaranteed a piece of the action.
orTennis: It may come as a surprise to many to see that tennis ranks third in the list of best sports betting. As with soccer, the international flavor of the big tennis tournaments makes people from all over the world follow the sport. Additionally, tennis tends to cater to upwardly mobile people, which means that tennis stakes tend to add up quickly. And, of course, the sport has exploded in popularity almost everywhere in the last decade.
orCricket: It never hurts a sport to have the full support of one of the most populated countries in the world. As the national sport and passion of over a billion people in India, it’s no wonder cricket ranks high on our list. Nor is it just India; cricket is incredibly popular in all countries that have a bit of Great Britain in their stories.
orRugby: Rounding out the top five is rugby. Once again, rugby has the advantage of being popular internationally, another legacy of the once powerful British Empire.
Wait a minute!
A little surprised by our list? Sometimes looking at some data about the rest of the world can really wake up those of us in North America to reality. It can be quite difficult to see that none of the popular American sports rank in the top five for world sports betting. Still, we can’t end on that sad note; Here are the most popular sports in Canada and the United States when it comes to betting numbers:
or(Football: Ah, we finally got to the grill. Both amateur and professional soccer receive millions of dollars worth of bets each season, and the Super Bowl attracts the most betting attention of any event in North American sports.
orBasketball: Once again, college and professional basketball leagues explain the popularity of basketball among punters. In fact, the NCAA stakes outperform the NBA, with the Final Four a close second to the Super Bowl in money spent on annual events.
Soccer and basketball leave all other sports in North America in the dust when it comes to the popularity of sports betting. Still, they are minor players in the international sports betting game!