Although some people have the perception that bet online is an archaic, outdated industry, don’t mix up the gambling that happens in Las Vegas compared to what happens online. While Sin City still forces you to bring cash, stand in line and speak to a human being to place your bets, the advancements with online sportsbooks have left Vegas in the dust. If you’re betting on sports in Vegas nowadays, you’re missing out not only on convenience but some really great features like live betting.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at three ways that online sportsbooks have innovated online.
Live Betting
It’s interesting to note that about 20 years ago, live betting was not even an option available to sports bettors. Nowadays, rough estimates suggest that about 85% of all action comes in on live betting during sporting events.
Sportsbooks have come a long way in terms of innovation with live betting. In the early goings of online gambling, the only in-game you’d be able to bet would be halftime lines. Nowadays, you can place your bet after each snap, shot and pitch. The challenge is that the quality of live betting varies from sportsbook to sportsbook as some have it down pat and offer an awesome product while others are very behind the times.
Mobile Betting
Mobile betting is another area where sportsbooks have made huge leaps forward in terms of innovation. Originally, when sportsbooks invested into online betting, the goal was to make sure that people with laptops and desktops could get into the action. That meant covering different operating systems, internet connection speeds and browsers. However, once Apple broke ground with mobile phones, sportsbooks have been focused on offering a much better mobile product.
Originally, sportsbooks rushed into building apps but nowadays, smartphones have become so powerful that sportsbooks don’t need to have dedicated apps. Having a mobile-friendly website is more than enough. Most sportsbooks will have a mobile-dedicated site that looks and feels like an app, which has really satisfied the customers. As screens continue to get larger and processing power continues to improve, we’ll see more innovation from sportsbooks in the future as they’ll have more resources to play with.
Advance With Cryptocurrencies
While many companies and organizations in modern-day society are just starting to adopt cryptocurrencies, the online sportsbooks have led the way in terms of adoption. They were one of the first to use cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals and their customers are among the most well-versed and comfortable with using it.
Online sportsbooks have been forced to innovate as they operate in so many different countries where they are so many different types of regulations. Sometimes payment methods will change and the sportsbooks will have to make significant adjustments on their end to accommodate. However, with cryptocurrencies, it makes life much easier for them. Since they are not governed by any one entity, they don’t have to worry about the taps getting shut off.
At any rate, sportsbooks have done a great job of making these payment advancements. They’ve educated their customers, offered huge bonuses to encourage crypto payments and are now well-equipped to accept everything from Bitcoin to Ether to Litecoin and much more.
