Gambling is fun, regardless of the form and whether we are talking about playing games of chance or sports betting. Yes, these two differ, but there are many aspects of why wagering on sports is so popular.
It all starts with fun as the main reason for placing any wager, but since sports play such a huge role in our lives, why not use the chance to make some money out of it?
We all have a team we support and follow, and reading about the stats is pretty easy these days as you can find any specific stat you might seek with a simple online search.
On the other hand, people spend many hours watching their favorite sport and team, and sometimes the games aren’t as interesting, but they could be if we place some money on the outcome or some specific event within a game.
All these factors have a prime role in why sports wagering is reaching new highs, especially when there is some huge and global sporting event, and World Cup surely meets these criteria.
Now, a thing we can talk about is how come that soccer has become so popular in the US lately, so much that the amount of money people plan to bet on games in the WC is close if not even higher than on NFL, a sport that’s the most popular in the states.
Something new and interesting
For many years, people in the US have struggled to understand why soccer is so popular across the globe and how come some players are globally popular. Soccer was never looked upon as a national sport, even though the US almost regularly participates in the main and global football events like World Cup.
The changes started when players and big soccer names from Europe and South America came to play in the US and the MLS league. It made the sport more popular and interested more people to follow it.
Now, we all know that when something gets popular, there are certain things that follow it, and betting on football is one of those things.
The bookmakers like Bet365 provided a guide and, what’s even more important, great odds, which attracted many people to wager and try to guess the result of some game in the WC.
It was a huge success, and the fact that you can bet on the score, who will score the first goal, whether there will be a penalty or even wager on the number of corners or yellow cards, is something entirely new and different from anything else.
Of course, it’s not just that it’s different, it’s also interesting, and above all, it makes even the dullest game amusing and fun, as you always have something to cheer for.
Convenience
Even though this reason can be applied to any form of gambling, it’s something that plays a huge role in why the US citizens are gambling so much on games in the World Cup.
Namely, online gambling is nothing new, but when it’s a big event like the WC, it just brings more will to invest a few bucks into guessing the winner. Now that, combined with how easy it is to register, create an account, and place a wager, brings us to where we are now, a world where people in the US are more than willing to bet on football.
Regardless of where they are and regardless of the time difference, as the World Cup is being held in Qatar, they can wager on anything they want, and options truly are numerous.
Once again, the accessibility and the fact that it’s something new and interesting are intertwined and are the two biggest reasons for the sudden expansion of wagering on soccer in the US.
It’s legalized in most states
Even though sports betting isn’t an option everywhere in the US, many states have legalized it, and this is also a factor that needs to be mentioned. In general, gambling is still a taboo topic in certain parts of the country, but in many states, it is legal to wager on sports, which draws more people to it, even those who never went to a casino before, for example.
All in all, legalizing it has brought many changes to people’s lives and even habits, as once it’s optionable to wager on your favorite team, or in this case, to bet that the USA will beat Iran in the group stage of the WC, makes it a great way to win some cash.
It also makes the game more interesting, and you can brag about how you guessed the outcome of the match. Overall it is a new and fun activity that isn’t illegal anymore, and people are starting to realize and understand much better all the benefits of sports betting and, as for the US, especially on soccer, and even more, on WC matches.
Sport unites people
Sport unites people, and sometimes it seems like we can spend hours talking about soccer tactics, results, memories, and predictions, and sport is something that really unites us all. That, and the fact that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, is the biggest reason why wagering on it is blooming in the states during the World Cup.
As much as some people don’t want to agree with these claims, the truth is that soccer is becoming more and more popular in the US. Knowing this, it’s nothing unusual that wagering on soccer is reaching new highs every year, especially during the World Cup.
It is a trend that’s not going to stop anytime soon, and since the next WC will be held mostly in the US, we are yet to see some big changes in people’s perception of soccer.
Another huge factor is the US national team, as it is a group of extremely talented and young players that are yet to show the world what they are made of, which will just draw even more people to soccer during the next World Cup.
