Everything has a start and everything has to begin somewhere. The universe began with the big bang, or so we theorize, and given the overlapping theories, some which contradict one another completely, there are many ways to approach the same topic.

Let’s look at something like sports betting. It has been with us for centuries and today, it is common practice for a sports fan to bet with offers like Codigo promocional Teletrak on their favorite team or athlete, or sometimes on multiple teams and athletes, depending whether they are into sports betting or they do it as a side activity to watching sports.

Sports betting also had to have a start in history. Let us look back and see where sports betting began.

Sports Betting in Ancient History

Betting on the outcome of an event, particularly a sports event, wasn’t uncommon in ancient times. In ancient Rome, it was common practice to bet on the winners of the chariot races. Ancient Greeks also bet on the outcome of various sports events, albeit it was sometimes against the tradition of the event to bet on the outcome, for example, the Olympic games. However, legality when it comes to betting has never stopped people, not in ancient times, nor today, in modern times.

Bets Between Peers and Prize Money

Bets were often made between peers in the same social circle, for example, craftsman vs craftsman and lord vs lord. These types of bets were typically tied to some events, usually horse racing or similar sports events.

At some point, there was an introduction of prize money, which is what you would get after a successful bet. Third parties would jump in and offer more money, increasing the size of the pool. 

However, sports betting as we know it did not start becoming commonplace until the 18th century.

The Birth of Modern Sports Betting

Modern sports betting has to thank horse racing for ever coming to be. Even though sports betting would eventually come to be on its own, horse racing helped push it through. Over the course of the 16th and 17th century, horse racing became increasingly popular in England. By the 18th century, both England and the United States had a love for horse racing, but it was in the UK, primarily, that horse racing and specifically, betting on horse racing, started becoming more prominent. It is said that the first bookmaker, named Ogden, was found at the Newmarket racecourse in 1795. 

Betting on horse racing took off, because people wanted something organized in all that chaos, a way to win some money and have some more fun.

Actual Sports Betting

It wasn’t until the 20th century that bets for sports such as football, baseball, and other sports, became available. Sports betting had undergone several changes in the 19th century, mostly due to regulations and avoiding said regulations.

By the first half of the 20th century, there were bets on various sports, with bookmakers opening shops that were dedicated specifically to sports betting, which was much different from bookmakers being at the racecourse in person.

In the 21st century, internet bookmakers were launched and it did not take long for them to thrive.

Sports betting has had an interesting history, though it would be hard to pinpoint when and where it began, we know that people have bet throughout history.