Those of us linked to sports betting regularly 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 kind of wager whenever there is a contest between two different sides, whether it is a competition between individuals or between two different teams.

The truth is, you’ll find records to show that as long as there happen to be matches between people, on any side, you can find individuals that 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 when they are watching a competition.

Today, remember, sports betting will be much more sophisticated than those ancient wagers. All around the world, bookmakers both big or small follow several unique 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’s about the sport one is betting on. Bookies setup their odds determined by very complex mathematical formulas, which enable them to to determine how also they can make a profit off of people’s bets. They don’t want too much “action” (money wagered) on one side or another, to prevent losing their profit. As a result, 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. People that take the “underdogs” stand to win a lot additional money per dollar bet than folks who take the favorites.

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

The story of sports betting involves not just book makers, but additionally the law. You are probably knowledgeable about the popular image of the bookie; a thug who takes money and also will behave violently when not paid. In contrast, there are many 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 amount 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 any other sort of payout. The history of most sports contains stories of players throwing games in order to receive money from a bookmaker. Laws for example the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act look to prevent this from happening by prohibiting sports betting in certain cases and places.

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

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

It’s safe to say that betting on sports is one area that has happened throughout human history, and an element that shall happen as long as there are competitions between people. Today, the similar web site has taken the story of sports betting to the next level; the end of that chapter has yet to be written!