The obsession with betting and gambling has been one of the most flourishing well-known facts for centuries. It is one of the integral parts of English society to gamble and bet. Since time immemorial, it has been flourishing and there are currently no signs that the passion for betting among ordinary people will subside soon. Even today, people who cannot go to casinos for their daily gaming habits, somehow find the bookies or online casinos to enter and try to play slots or place bets on their favourite football club occasionally.

Football (or soccer) is the most closely associated industry with gambling. It will be hard to determine when and under what conditions the betting in the football niche started. However, it is known that it was in the 1960s when it was first legalized and the relationship between betting and football began. If you want to know more about betting and gambling, you can read more.

How did it all start back in the 90s?

The history of football betting can be traced back to somewhere in 1960 when the English government first passed the gambling Act. After the legalization, the betting shops made their ways to bring out the hidden gambling tactics, making football fans legally bet on football. 

It was that time when a few names like William Hill, Coral, and Ladbrokes appeared in the betting industry. By the time of the 1980s, the betting shops were heavily regulated. Even though betting was legal now, many politicians tried to put the betting industry into the dark until the game was encouraged to be televised, and punters were allowed to bet on live football betting matches.

How has the culture evolved?

The first football betting is assumed to have taken place in 1923 when the bookmakers Littlewoods offered to take bets outside Old Trafford. The real boom took place back in 1960 when the Parliament passed the Gambling Act to regulate gambling in the industry.

  • After that, the gambling shops started booming although many high-profile politicians tried to put the industry in the dark. This was the major reason that the football industry had to be placed on the dark side in terms of betting back in the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Then in 1986, a new law was passed, relaxing the bookies, which all started appearing by themselves or on their own. Now the matches started televising on national TV to cut down the corruption.

Then in 1992, Sky Sports brought new regulations on TV, allowing TV channels to broadcast several games simultaneously. This is how today football betting became popular among punters worldwide.

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