Sports BettingPosted by amirthaa on September 26th, 2010 The term sports betting is not something new, especially to those who are in sports or sports-related fields. Sports betting is a type of gambling that can be played in various ways. This betting system had a very humble beginning in the early 80s? and now is a massive industry involving both online and offline bets. There are many ways to place a wager on sports. Aside from the simple bets you place with your friends on your favorite soccer team, you can also place your wagers through a bookmaker or the many online outlets. Examples of sports betting types include Head-to-Head, parlays, proposition bets, and teasers. Each type of betting has a specific type of wager placements and techniques of winning. Meanwhile, in sports betting, a bookmaker or more casually known as a bookie is usually a person or an organization that takes bet upon sports upon mutually agreed odds. Illegal bookmakers posses no license and are not regulated by specific laws. On the other hand, there are legal bookies that place wagers on sports and bookies sometimes act as a regulator to ensure profit regardless of the outcome of the match. With the arrival of World Wide Web, most bookmakers now operate through their online brand, taking their business global. Famous sports in sports betting industry include horse and greyhound racing, tennis, football, and golf. The legal sports betting industry boosts a country?s economy as well. Sports betting is usually at the peak of its popularity when a certain season arrives, For example, the FIFA World Cup and the Grand Slam tournaments. On a negative note, sports betting are sometimes accused of being the main cause of match fixing. Usually, pre-agreed decision with the gamblers may result in match fixing or in cases where a competition is a game, game fixing situations. These situations may arise if huge profits can be made by the playing team in case a game is pre-fixed. Many sports commentators, critics and generally, the public have raised their concern over sports betting as it outs the real gaming spirit in jeopardy. To put in other words, sports betting has become such a huge phenomenon that the common may have lost faith and respect towards the game. Conclusively, sports betting is not something ?bad? to be curbed. It may or may not serve as a motivational factor for the teams playing. If done correctly, sports betting can promote healthy competition and encourage the mass to turn their attention towards sports. For example, greyhound racing is a competition that was confined to the gaming circuit until gamblers were involved. Now, it is a globally known sport. Thus, it depends on the moral and the ethics of the players, referees and gambling organizations to make sure that sports betting does not interfere with the deserved outcome of a game.Like it? Share it! More by this author |