Here’s How the Gambling Industry has Evolved Over the Years


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Gambling really has been a popular activity for quite some time. From card playing and dice rolling to the modern tech that online casinos are able to offer right now, it’s safe to say that the gambling industry really is a multi-billion-dollar industry that is serving as a very popular pastime.

Who was the First Person to Make A Profit?

The very first person to make a profit with gambling was Harry Ogden. He studied the field and he lay down odds on each horse rather than the 2 propositions that were standard. As time went on, even more gambling providers opened up; a very popular movement had begun.

Legalised Betting Shops

In 1961, betting shops appeared openly on the market and within 6 months of the laws being changed, more than 10,000 shops opened up. Betting shops paved the way for mainstream activity, and they consisted of a bookie who stood behind the counter. You also had a board man, who was at the time responsible for marking the prices for each race. The tech then shifted so that fixed-odds betting and terminals then started up.

The Rise of Online Betting

By the late 1990s, the popularity of the internet was in full swing. Bookmakers then came to the conclusion that online betting was the way to go forward. Betfair was the very first site to offer online bingo and several poker sites started up soon after. They were able to provide features that other companies couldn’t and they made it into the booming industry that it is today. Online betting and gaming websites such as NetBet deliver services to customers which just a few years ago were serious waves in the marketplace.

Mobile Apps

More and more companies have created apps to add to their list of offerings. Mobile apps are now responsible for processing billions of bets every single year. By the year 2018, mobile gambling accounted for 40% of the total market. A lot of people choose to gamble using a range of digital devices over in-person bookies, and casinos have also changed radically too.

Tech has influenced gambling in this way too. It has led customers to expect a lot of convenience from every single company and it has even validated the need for a lot of betting shops. This has helped them to incorporate mobile capabilities into their services. Casinos then started incorporating more and more tech to try and meet the need that was present, and this has led to some customisable options.

All in all, it is truly amazing to see how things have changed over the years but every change has brought about a positive result. Only time will tell what the future holds but right now it looks like a lot has been done to try and ensure the survivability of the industry and this is fantastic to say the least. What does the future hold? Nobody knows, but right now it looks like everything is moving forward at a phenomenal rate.

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