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The rise of sports betting

My luck begins and ends with the small victories in life, catching the TTC just as it arrives or finding the perfect playlist for my day. So, if you ask for my personal opinion on sports betting, I'd say, "It's stupid and dumb. I don't care how many ads they throw at me during YouTube sports highlights or Monday Night Hockey on Prime. And no matter how many times Jamie Foxx tries to convince you to gamble, they’re all bad and should be banned."

But let’s set my personal bias aside and ask the real question, is sports betting actually ruining sports, or is it an inevitable, even beneficial, evolution of the industry?

Betting on sports is not new. It has existed for centuries, from ancient Roman gladiatorial fights to 19th-century horse racing and underground bookmaking in early baseball. For a long time, gambling in sports was associated with shady backrooms, illegal bookies, and match-fixing scandals. But in recent years, legalization has made it more mainstream, with betting apps now as common as fantasy leagues.

Jamie Foxx starred in a commercial for BetMGM.

Sports have always been about passion as fandoms live and breathe their teams. But when you mix money with that emotion, things can get chaotic. People aren’t just cheering for their team anymore; they’re financially invested. A bad call from a  referee, an unexpected injury, or a last-second goal doesn’t just hurt emotionally, it can cost you real money.

Now that betting is legal in certain markets throughout the world, there are more concerns. Are games being fixed? Are referees being influenced? The deeper sports gambling integrates into leagues, the more these questions continues to follow.

Take the recent allegations in the NFL, where reports surfaced that some referees were allegedly bribed to adjust penalty calls to influence scoring outcomes, favoring the house’s advantage. While no confirmed cases of referees accepting bribes have emerged, the NFL remains vigilant. Dean Blandino, the NFL's former vice president of officiating, acknowledged that officials have been approached in the past with attempts to influence game outcomes for gambling purposes. (BleacherReport)

Then there’s ESPN. A network historically focused on broadcasting is now directly in the gambling business, launching its own betting platform. ESPN and Penn Entertainment have partnered to launch ESPN Bet, a new sports gambling service with the sports media giant (ESPN Bet). Unlike traditional casinos that operated separately from sports leagues, companies like ESPN have vested interests in game outcomes. When a broadcaster has a stake in both covering and profiting from the game, can we really trust the integrity of what we’re watching?

And despite the controversies, sports betting is growing at an unprecedented rate. Leagues, networks, and even governments benefit financially, making it difficult to regulate and even harder to ignore. Whether it’s fueling corruption or simply evolving alongside modern sports entertainment, one thing is certain; "betting is no longer just a side hustle for fans; it’s a billion-dollar industry woven into the very fabric of sports itself."

Different types of betting across the world

Sports betting isn’t just a single concept, it exists in different forms, influenced by culture, legality, and technological advancement. Some countries embrace it as a regulated industry, while others crack down on it with strict laws. But no matter the region, one thing is clear—its influence on sports is undeniable.

As of December 10, 2024, according to data from CompaniesMarketCap, the top ten largest gambling companies by market cap.

Traditional Betting

Before mobile apps and live wagers, sports betting had its roots in traditional forms that remain relevant today:

• Fixed-Odds Betting – The most common form, where odds are set before the event starts (e.g., betting on a football team to win a match).

• Spread Betting – A riskier form where the payout is based on the accuracy of a prediction, not just a win/loss outcome (e.g., betting on how many points a team will win by).

• Parimutuel Betting – Popular in horse racing, where all bets are pooled together, and winnings are shared among those who made correct predictions.

Online Betting

With the rise of smartphones and online platforms, betting is now more accessible than ever:

• Mobile Apps & Websites – Companies like Bet365, DraftKings, and FanDuel have made betting seamless with 24/7 access.

• Live Betting – Also known as in-play betting, this allows people to place wagers during a game, making every moment potentially profitable (or disastrous).

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Fantasy Sports & eSports Betting

Not everyone  wants to bet the traditional way. The rise of technology has given birth to modern forms of betting like:

• Fantasy Sports Betting – Users create fantasy teams using real players and earn points based on their performance in actual games (e.g., DraftKings, Dream11 in India).

• eSports Betting – Competitive gaming has exploded in popularity, and betting on games like CS:GO, League of Legends, and Dota 2 is projected to reach USD $2.8 billion in revenue in 2025. (Statista.com)

Regional Variations Around the World

UK & Europe:

In Europe, sports betting is a well-established and tightly regulated industry, particularly in countries like the UK, Spain, and Italy. With longstanding legal frameworks, betting companies such as Betfair and William Hill operate openly, offering a range of wagers on various sports. However, football dominates the market, with the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga attracting billions in wagers every season. While regulations help ensure fair play, concerns over gambling addiction and advertising saturation continue to be topics of debate across the continent.

USA:

The landscape of sports betting in the United States has transformed dramatically in recent years. For decades, Nevada was the only state where sports betting was legal, with Las Vegas serving as the hub for gamblers. However, a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2018 struck down a federal ban, allowing states to regulate sports betting individually. This led to an explosion in the industry, with states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania embracing legalization, while others followed suit at a rapid pace. The NFL and NBA have quickly integrated betting into their ecosystems, forming lucrative partnerships with platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings.

India:

surrounding IPL matches has led to repeated calls for regulation, with proponents arguing that legalization could help curb corruption and generate substantial tax revenue.

Meanwhile, strict government regulations make sports betting a heavily controlled or even illegal activity in other Asian countries like China and Japan. However, this hasn’t stopped underground markets from thriving, especially in cricket and football, with Hong Kong and Singapore serving as regulated betting hubs, particularly in horse racing. Asia’s market remains a mix of legal, gray, and underground betting operations that generate billions despite regulatory crackdowns.

Now, I know I’m throwing around “billions” like I’m buying a doughnut from Krispy Krisppers. But that’s just how wild the sports betting scene is right now. Across the world, sports betting is shaping the way fans interact with their favorite teams and leagues. In some regions, it is a heavily regulated and tax-generating industry, while in others, it operates in legal gray areas or underground markets. Whether through Las Vegas sportsbooks, European betting giants, or African mobile platforms, the industry continues to grow, embedding itself deeper into the global sports economy.

The dark side

While it may be unsettling to see alcohol or cigarettes advertisements during a game, gambling ads operate on an entirely different level. The key difference? Instant access. You can’t buy a beer the moment a commercial pops up, but you can place a bet with just a few taps on your phone. What’s even more striking is how regulations differ between the two. In alcohol advertisements, whether it’s beer, whiskey, or anything in between, athletes are never shown actually drinking—because they’re legally prohibited from doing so. But when it comes to gambling, there are no such restrictions. Ads don’t just show people placing bets; they show them winning. Every. Single. Time. With a clear message: Gambling is easy, fun, and always rewarding. 

Battery Farming Sport For Bets.

For all the billions flowing through legal betting markets, there’s an equally massive underbelly where money moves in silence, games are manipulated, and authorities struggle to keep up. Illegal and underground betting has been a part of sports for as long as gambling itself, thriving in countries where laws are restrictive or where bettors prefer to avoid regulation. Whether through underground bookies, match-fixing syndicates, or the rise of betting farms, the dark side of betting is a global industry that shows no signs of disappearing.

Black Market Betting

If legal sports betting is a gold rush, the black market is a hidden empire. In countries where gambling is banned or heavily restricted; like China, India, and much of the Middle East—illegal betting markets step in to fill the demand. Estimating the exact size of the global illegal sports betting market is challenging due to its clandestine nature. However, authoritative reports suggest that it ranges between $350 billion and $1.7 trillion annually. For context, the legal state-regulated lottery and sports betting sector was valued at approximately $384.7 billion in 2021. (Publicgaming.com)

In India, where traditional betting remains still illegal, cricket betting syndicates operate during major tournaments like the IPL, handling astronomical sums of unregulated money. Unlike legal sportsbooks that rely on fixed odds and structured payouts, illegal betting markets often function through a network of bookies who set their own odds, track debts manually, and use intimidation to ensure payments are made. Without regulation, bettors have no legal recourse if they’re scammed, and authorities have no oversight into potential corruption linked to these operations.

Underground Syndicates

These syndicates often use a "credit betting" system, where gamblers place bets without upfront payments, allowing them to bet beyond their means. While this might seem like a high-risk business model, enforcement methods aren’t exactly friendly—failure to pay can lead to intimidation, threats, or worse. Unlike legal sportsbooks, where losses are limited to your deposits, underground bookies don’t take "no" for an answer. The secrecy surrounding these operations makes them difficult to regulate. Governments and law enforcement agencies attempt to crack down on these operations, but the decentralized and digital nature of modern illegal betting makes it difficult.

Match-Fixing and Corruption

The biggest danger of underground betting isn’t just financial, it's the threat it poses to the integrity of sports. Match-fixing, where players, referees, or teams are bribed to influence game outcomes, has been an ongoing issue across multiple sports.

​In 2005, German football was rocked by a match-fixing scandal involving referee Robert Hoyzer, who admitted to accepting bribes from a Croatian gambling syndicate to manipulate match outcomes. Hoyzer's actions affected several matches, including a notable DFB-Pokal (German Cup) first-round game on August 21, 2004, between SC Paderborn and Hamburger SV. (CNN)

South African captain Hansie Cronje.

Similarly, in 2000, the cricketing world was shaken by revelations that South African captain Hansie Cronje had accepted bribes from bookmakers to influence match conditions and provide match information. Cronje confessed to accepting around $130,000 from 1996 onwards but maintained that he had never fixed a match (ESPNcrickinfo.com). Even the IPL has faced significant challenges due to match-fixing scandals, notably involving prominent franchises like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In 2013, the league was rocked by allegations of spot-fixing and betting, leading to suspension of the franchise from the league for two years. 

Betting Farms

1xBet, a Cyprus-based online gambling company, has been accused of orchestrating large-scale betting farms by streaming fabricated sports matches to lure unsuspecting gamers. Investigations have revealed that the company live-streams thousands of amateur games, many involving fake teams and players, solely to create continuous betting opportunities. These matches, often staged in undisclosed locations across Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, feature recycled players appearing for different teams, exposing the staged nature of these events.

Short football games held in multiple locations are streamed to 1xBet around the clock. Source: 1xBet

Even more concerning, some of these fabricated games have involved minors. Reports indicate that children as young as 14 have participated in matches streamed by 1xBet, raising serious ethical and legal concerns about their operations. Despite such alarming practices, the company has managed to maintain its global presence, securing high-profile sponsorship deals with major sports teams like FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, which has drawn criticism over the lack of oversight in the sports industry’s gambling partnerships.

1xBet's reputation has been further tainted by legal troubles, with its founders facing international arrest warrants for illegal gambling operations. While authorities attempt to crack down on such deceptive practices, the company continues to exploit regulatory loopholes, operating in markets where oversight is weak. This case highlights the urgent need for stricter gambling regulations and increased awareness among bettors to avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes.(bellingcat.com)

The gamble that sports has taken

Sports betting has evolved from a niche activity into a dominant force shaping the global sports industry. From traditional wagers to the rise of online platforms, fantasy sports, and even cryptocurrency-driven gambling, it has become an unavoidable part of modern sports culture. While it fuels economic growth, funds leagues, and enhances fan engagement, it also brings a host of challenges, from gambling addiction and financial ruin to corruption and match-fixing scandals. At the same time, aggressive advertising from betting companies portrays gambling as a winning proposition, often overlooking the harsh realities of consistent losses and the deeper consequences for individuals and the integrity of sports itself.

This leaves us with an important question: where do we go from here? Sports betting isn’t going away, and its impact—both good and bad—will continue to grow. While some see it as an inevitable part of the game, others worry that its increasing influence could jeopardize the fairness and credibility of sports. As fans, regulators, and stakeholders, it’s up to us to decide how much control we should allow the industry to have. Should leagues continue embracing betting partnerships, or should stricter regulations be imposed to protect the integrity of the game? There’s no simple answer, but one thing is certain: sports itself has become a gamble, and how we choose to manage it will define the future of the game.

What do you think? Is sports betting an exciting evolution that keeps fans engaged, or is it a growing threat to the integrity of the game? Are leagues and governments doing enough to regulate it, or does the industry have too much influence? Drop your thoughts in the comments, because whether we like it or not, this is a debate that affects everyone who loves sports.

By Zenith Rathod