Those of us linked to sports betting on a regular basis probably understand that in truth, there was never really any “start” point when folks began betting on sports. It appears pretty natural to place some sort 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.

In fact, there are records to show that as long as there have been matches between people, on any side, you can find people 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, keep in mind, sports betting is a lot more sophisticated than those ancient wagers. All over the world, bookmakers both big or small follow many different systems which allow them to earn money off of people’s penchant for punting. Whether we have been speaking about professional or amateur leagues, you may bet that you will be able to find someone prepared to take your wager.

It is critical to recognize that the story of sports betting is just as much about these “middle men” than it really is about the sport one is betting on. Bookies setup their odds according to very complex mathematical formulas, which help them to determine how they can make a profit off of people’s bets. They do not want too much “action” (money wagered) on one side or another, in order to avoid losing their profit. So, they have thought up ways to encourage people to bet on each side.

One of those ways is to offer higher payouts if your team receiving less bets win. Men and women who take the “underdogs” stand to win a whole lot more income per dollar bet than individuals who take the favorites.

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

The story of sports betting involves not only book makers, but also the law. You might be familiar with the popular image of the bookie; a thug who takes money and will behave violently when not paid. In contrast, there are various 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 additionally 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 for example the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act attempt to prevent this from occurring by prohibiting sports betting in certain cases and places.

As always, 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 quality online soccer gambling. Bettors in North America no longer need to make the trip to Vegas as a way to put some money down on their favorite team; instead, the ability to wager is simply a click of the mouse away.

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

It’s safe to state that betting on sports is something that has happened throughout human history, and a thing that will happen as long as you will discover competitions between people. Today, the web has taken the story of sports betting to the next level; the end of that chapter has yet to be written!