Football Betting: A Brief History
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Football betting is a large and ever-growing business worldwide. The Premier League attracts the most money, but every league has fans wagering on it throughout the world. Some countries do not allow any form of betting. That is why they turn to online football betting sites like UFA168. These sites let bettors put wagers no matter where you are from any time.
The ancient beginning
The history of football betting is quite exciting and a bit shrouded in mystery. The exact details of when it started have been a debatable topic ever since. There is a lot of evidence that ancient civilizations played some form of football. Balls made from linen or animal intestines were in Ancient Egyptian tombs. In Ancient China, there were leather balls stuffed with feathers. Football began to take on its modern form in the 19th century in England. There was an introduction of rules that changed everything.
The true origin
As mentioned above, there is no comprehensive history of football betting. Before the 1960s, betting on football was illegal and done in the streets only or criminal safe houses.
The football pools. Another alternative was to take part in the weekly pools. Littlewoods, a bookmaker, was the first to offer football pool betting. It was outside Old Trafford in 1923 and became popular. There were several scoring systems. The most popular was awarding points for each correct guess for a home win, draw and away win. The pools still exist today. But the football betting online that most people know and love is very different. Major bookmakers established their companies in the early 20th century. Ladbrokes opened in 1902. William Hill and Coral followed but almost focused on horse and dog racing.
The rise of football betting
The 1960 Gambling Act legalized gambling and changed the betting world. Betting shops popped out of every corner the following year. Football fans are ecstatic that they can now bet on football in other legal ways than the pool bets only.
Major operators capitalized on their new-found legitimacy. William Hill, Coral, and Ladbrokes conquered the United Kingdom sports betting market. By the late 1980s, betting shops became a little more hospitable. They were no longer like the dark unglamorous places they used to be. It is because of new legislation in 1986. Betting shops started to feature brighter interiors and even televisions.
The betting options were still limited. A game must be on live television for a punter to bet on it. Bettors should place wagers on non-live games alongside two other selections to be valid.
Stepping out and the birth of online operators
Sky Sports bought the rights to screen Premier League fixtures for the first time in 1992. It brought a bigger audience than ever. The birth and explosion of the internet during the late 1990s revolutionized betting on football. A lot of new bookies, such as UFA168, began to spring up. Punters can now bet on football from the comfort of their own home.
