Sports betting involves placing a wager on the outcome of a sports game or tournament. It has become a popular practice all across the world, especially over the past few decades. 

The sports gambling industry is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, with a size of about $66.8 billion, as of late 2020. This figure is expected to rise to $106.25 billion by 2025 thanks to programs like Unlimit casino.

Sports betting is also popular in Europe. The European gambling market grew in 2021 by almost 8%. Currently, European countries rank among the top countries with the highest gross gambling revenue.

Soccer is the biggest gambling sport in Europe and all over the world. The sport has continued to surge in growth and remains the most popular sport globally with over two billion fans across the globe. 

Has sports betting helped to grow soccer’s appeal in Europe and other continents? Read on to find out:

The Potential Benefits of Sports Betting

Rewards and Bonuses

People have become more interested in soccer games thanks to the potential benefits that come with betting on the sport. 

Betting on a soccer game can be highly rewarding, and the monetary benefits of soccer betting alone is enough to convert even the biggest soccer haters. Today, soccer betting sites continue to advertise mouth-watering bonuses and rewards in a bid to win more fans.

Excitement

The thrill that comes with sports betting has also contributed to the growth of soccer. While soccer can be exciting to watch, wagering on the sport is a different thing entirely. Fans who bet on a particular game are bound to have a different, unique matchday experience than fans who don’t.

Betting on a game will likely increase your interest in it and make you more invested in the game. What’s more? The more it looks like the predictions are falling in line, the more exciting it gets. And even when you lose on a bet, the betting experience can be too hard to ignore. 

Social Betting

Fan participation in soccer is at an all-time high. We can trace this trend to a growing online sports gambling market. Nowadays, fans are becoming as invested in soccer games as the players, if not more.

The scope of betting has changed over the years. Sports gambling has morphed into a digital activity thanks to the advent of the internet, and this has helped to further push soccer to heightened popularity. 

Like in any other sport, soccer’s global appeal thrives on fan interactions; discussions, analysis, and unending debates.

As a result, some soccer betting platforms are beginning to incorporate social elements, like live chat sessions, to foster customer engagement. These tools allow fans all over the world to interact with each other to share their experiences, discuss games, and place wagers. 

The online gambling space also lets soccer followers access real-time information on their devices and bet on games without having to visit a physical sportsbook. And with thousands of sports betting sites available, people who want to bet on soccer have plenty of alternatives to choose from.

Some sites provide streaming services to sports bettors, allowing customers to watch live games and make in-play wagering on different betting metrics, like the first team/player to score, the number of goals scored before halftime, and free kick conversions, to name a few.

Also, it takes skill to win a sports bet. Fans have to take their time to do some good research before wagering. It’s important to know how well a team is playing, winning/losing streaks, head-to-head matchups, and other critical factors that can affect the outcome of a game. 

This way, you have to stay current with transfer news, injury updates, club management, and other important information. As a result, bettors become highly invested in soccer, thus increasing fan engagement. 

Conclusion

Sports betting continues to play a huge role in building a large soccer fan base across the world. While soccer is already popular in Europe, Asia, and Africa, it’s starting to gain considerable momentum in North America, thanks to betting opportunities.

The only roadblock remains the legalization of sports betting in some North American regions. Unlike in most countries in Europe, sports betting isn’t legal in many parts of the United States. As of today, only 30 states have legalized sports betting, 18 currently allow online sports wagering, and five only permit this activity in retail settings.

We expect more states to legalize sports betting in the future. Should this happen, soccer would become more popular than it currently is.