Sports betting has been popular for a long time. There are debates on when sports betting started, but many historians believe it began with horse racing. Horse racing was one of the first sporting events ever organized in England in 1174. Historians say horse race betting has already included betting since it was first organized.
With its long history, sports betting has evolved immensely. Now people can enjoy mobile sports betting on any sport they want, where available. They only need devices that can connect to the internet, a betting site account, money to bet on the sport, and safe access to an excellent online betting site that can provide good betting options.
Let’s take a look at how sports betting trends have evolved technologically.
Sports Betting Technological Advancements
The sports industry is growing to match technological advancements. As players are now accustomed to using the internet anywhere they want, sports betting operators have taken the opportunity to offer their services online. It has also been noticed that many consumers spend more time on their mobile devices than on desktops. Again, bookmakers must catch up with the demand and provide betting apps, or optimize their sites for mobile use.
One of the best qualities of an online betting site is that it allows customers to bet instantly. Moreover, online betting sites make it easier for them to monitor the changes. This is especially for betting sites that provide live odds that show the differences in odds and betting lines.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) has been a hot topic in the gambling industry. Many probably know Virtual Reality as a device they can wear on their heads. Using two controllers on both hands, they can navigate the game world as if playing directly in the game’s environment.
This applies in the same way to sports betting. Developers are looking to improve the immersion of online betting into something even more impressive. With VR technology, players can play like they’re present at a real-life event or game.
Players have access to the game using a VR headset and have the same experience of joining a sports event while staying home.
Artificial Intelligence
Sports betting sites already implement artificial intelligence in many aspects of their systems, but it’ll become even more critical in the future. This not only applies to artificial intelligence, but also to data analytics, which are going to improve sports betting sites immensely.
AI technology will play a big part in predicting and analyzing players’ betting data to generate an accurate prediction. Data analytics has and will continue to help sort players’ information and give them informed betting decisions.
Providing Better Security
Operators must be capable of providing the best security to their players. Bettors will input sensitive data, including their financial information. If operators can’t provide security, there are countless pieces of data at stake.
Technology has improved a lot in terms of security. Online betting sites implement heightened data encryption to secure all players’ data and counteract fraud. Sportsbooks nowadays can monitor suspicious activities on the players’ accounts and block them or notify the users in cases of illegal activities.
How Trends Change in the Sports Betting Industry
Technology isn’t the only thing changing in the sports betting industry. Bookmakers must be innovative and updated when it comes to trends. They must be able to provide what the market needs to keep their customers loyal while being attractive to new bettors.
Crypto Betting
Betting sites traditionally only accepted fiat payments, but cryptocurrencies have started growing rapidly in popularity. Many betting sites follow the crypto trend to provide better payment options for their existing customers and show that betting sites also allow people to use crypto to bet. Some betting sites go as far as offering bonuses that give out cryptocurrencies.
Crypto betting sites started accepting more and more cryptocurrencies. So now, it’s not hard to find betting sites that accept major cryptocurrencies for deposit and withdrawal.
Faster Withdrawals
Cryptocurrencies aren’t the only trending payment gateways in the industry. Before cryptocurrencies, e-wallets were the trend. The main reason sports betting sites started offering more payment options isn’t solely based on the trending method. It’s also because players started demanding faster payouts.
Credit and debit cards are some of the most popular payment methods. However, they can take days to process. E-wallets shorten the processing time significantly, and cryptocurrencies can give an instant payout.
Sports Handicapper
Bettors who have never bet before might be confused when they first try betting on sports. There’s a lot to learn, and it’ll take time until they can bet using the proper knowledge.
For new bettors who prefer not to dive too deep into sports betting, they can hire sports handicappers, who are available nowadays. Sports handicappers usually help bettors make a more accurate decision at the right price. Hiring a sports handicapper may cost hundreds of dollars, but they’ll provide good knowledge so the bettor can make an informed decision.