Those of us involved in sports betting on a regular basis probably understand that in truth, there was never really any “start” point when individuals began betting on sports. It seems pretty natural to place some kind of wager whenever there is a contest between two different sides, whether or not it is a competition between individuals or between two different teams.

Actually, you’ll find records to show that as long as there are already matches between people, on any side, there are actually those who want to add some excitement to the competition through wagering. From the gladiatorial contests in ancient Rome to foot races on North America’s Great Plains, all cultures have put bets involving money or goods once they are watching a competition.

Today, simply, sports betting will be much more sophisticated than those ancient wagers. All over the world, bookmakers both small or large follow many different systems which allow them to earn money off of people’s penchant for punting. Whether we have been talking about professional or amateur leagues, you may bet that you’ll be able to find someone prepared to take your wager.

It is important to realize that the story of sports betting is just as much about these “middle men” than it is about the sport one is betting on. Bookies set up their odds based on very complex mathematical formulas, which enable them to to ascertain how they can make money off of people’s bets. They do not want too much “action” (money wagered) on one side or another, to avoid losing their profit. Consequently, they have thought up ways to encourage people to bet on each side.

One of those ways is to offer higher payouts should the team receiving less bets win. Those who take the “underdogs” stand to win a great deal more income per dollar bet than people that take the favorites.

Similarly, the point spread is used to encourage betting on both sides of the given match. Both methods allow the sports books to come out of each match with some money.

The story of sports betting involves not only book makers, but also the law. You’re probably acquainted with the popular image of the bookie; a thug who takes money and also will behave violently when not paid. On the flip side, there are lots of legal, above board sports books today who are legally sanctioned to take sports bets. In North America, all of these books run out of Las Vegas.

In other areas of the world, sports betting is legal but is also highly regulated. Governments, and sports bodies as well, desire to protect the honest competitive nature of sports. With the sheer sum of cash being bet on the outcome of games, it may be tempting for players to forget about competition in favor of a bribe or other sort of payout. The history of most sports contains stories of players throwing games so that you can receive money from a bookmaker. Laws such as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act seek to prevent this from occurring by prohibiting sports betting in certain cases and places.

Of course, the next chapter in the story of sports betting may make such efforts moot. Today, sports books are among those businesses that have capitalized on the opportunities available learn online soccer. Bettors in North America no longer need to make the trip to Vegas to be able to put some cash down on their own favorite team; instead, the capability to wager is just a click of the mouse away.

Not only are more people able to wager on sports throughout the Internet, the total amount of information available increases the prospects of making good bets in a way which has never been seen before. Simply, the information also means that books will be able to compensate, although the opportunities for making some serious money (at some risk) are nevertheless around.

It’s safe to claim that betting on sports is a thing which has happened throughout human history, and a thing that shall happen as long as you’ll find competitions between people. Today, the net has taken the story of sports betting to the next level; the end of that chapter has yet to be written!