Art & Entertainment: British Sports Betting Enjoys Public Esteem

Author: Shaun Parker

In many places on this planet sports betting is still illegal. In others, because of a tarnished past of underground betting, seedy betting establishments where corruption was the only truly consistent component, it has still has not come to have an above board connotation.

Here in Britain however, this is not the case. Sports betting came to be in a noble manner and was enjoyed by the upper crusts of British society in an open and honourable fashion. All the way back into the 1700's Britons had an immense passion for horse racing (as we continue to now). It really began with those horse races where mostly wealthy members of nobility took part in wagering on race results. It was basically a pastime of those we looked up to and was therefore an activity we hoped to aspire to in some way.

That hope was realized back in the 1960's. Betting shops began to appear on every high street and Britons began to take part in sports betting in a way they just didn't have access to previously. The response was dramatic since it was an activity that the population wanted more access to. It wasn't just horse racing anymore either. This type of betting was available for rugby games, football, cricket and even tennis.

Regulation and Public Opinion

Of course, over the years sports betting became more and more regulated by government authorities. Because of the popularity of the activity, most people welcomed the involvement of regulators to ensure the above board operations of sports betting establishments. This is another move that has kept this type of betting in a different light than it is held in many other parts of the world.

The strict regulations that are in place here for the operation of betting means that the sports betting population here still hold the activity in high esteem. This is a good thing because it is still growing in popularity.

Everything Old is New Again

There is actually a resurgence of sorts in the British pastime of sports betting. It seems quite unlikely as the activity never did actually 'go away'. This surge in popularity has everything to do with the internet. Because you can do all your betting online in the privacy and comfort of your own home now, the numbers have increased of late.

In truth this new increase in sports betting activity is merely the result of people taking advantage of the convenience of online betting. It is most likely the very same people who were betting before, only now they can do a little more of it since it is on their own computer at all hours.

Whether your sports betting is on the good old fashioned British horse races or whether you prefer to get involved in foreign sports, the whole activity continues to enjoy a revered spot in the hearts of the British punter (noble or not).