The global sports betting market was worth over $130 billion in 2020 and that figure is expected to reach $179 billion by 2028.
This betting market features thousands of online and offline sports bookies, offering odds on various sports and different leagues around the world. Here are the most popular sports that punters wager on today.
- Soccer
Soccer is the world’s biggest game and the most played sport globally. Millions of fans flock to streaming services every week to watch their favorite playing, while others travel across the world to watch the game live. These fans love betting on the sport due to the straightforward nature of the game and most bookies offer odds on a wide range of markets.
When betting on soccer, you can predict the outright winner of the match, number of goals, injuries, corners, and even goal scorers. Additionally, leading bookmakers like Betway offer punters the chance to wager on live football matches.
- Horse Racing
Having existed for centuries, horse racing has been synonymous with betting for many years. The game was once the world’s most popular sport in the betting world, before the rise of different professional soccer leagues around the world.
Surprisingly, Japan ranks as the biggest market that bet on horse racing, closely followed by Australia, the UK, and the US as more states continue embracing sports betting. Some of the biggest horse racing events you can wager on at Betway include: the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, The Preakness Stakes, The Royal Ascot, Melbourne Cup, and Grand National.
- Tennis
Tennis might not be a mainstream game in many countries, but it has earned its spot in the sports betting industry. That’s because the tennis calendar is organized in a way that ensures there are matches played all year long.
You can bet on the WTA and ATP tours that travel the world, which ensures there are matches to wager on at different times. Additionally, the sport’s governing bodies make a lot of metrics and data publicly available, making it easy to make accurate predictions with some research.
- Golf
With about 78 players in any given course, golf is one of the fastest-growing sports in the betting industry. There are lots of betting formats available, so it’s easy to see why this sport is getting a strong foothold in the gambling market.
Big golfing events take 3 days to complete, while major championships take four days. Add that to the number of players in the field in events like The Masters, The US Open, The PGA Championship, and others, it becomes easy to see the huge opportunities and variable outcomes that the sport presents.
- Esports
Esports is the fastest growing sport in the betting industry, with more and more players joining the bandwagon by the day. The popularity of esports on the global market has pushed bookies to quickly adapt, with almost every leading bookie offering odds on these virtual games.
While esports has existed for several years, the industry only became popular in the betting market a few years ago. The betting volume on esports is rapidly growing and driving millions of dollars in the sports betting market in 2022.
