Gopher Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 OK, without looking it up, what are the top three sports, in terms of gambling, worldwide? Two of the three should be somewhat obvious... the third is a bit of a surprise, to say the least. To clarify, this is in terms of gross dollars (or other currency) spent/wagered per year on each sport (worldwide, not just the U.S.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metromancer Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Party Poker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Party Poker. If I was asking about the top three gambling sites, you may very well be correct. However, I'm looking for the top three sports gambled on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 OK, without looking it up, what are the top three sports, in terms of gambling, worldwide? Two of the three should be somewhat obvious... the third is a bit of a surprise, to say the least. To clarify, this is in terms of gross dollars (or other currency) spent/wagered per year on each sport (worldwide, not just the U.S.). Does horse racing count? I'm guessing we're talking soccer and football...and something else? cricket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 Does horse racing count? I'm guessing we're talking soccer and football...and something else? cricket? Yes, horse racing counts (and is #1). Soccer is #2. No on football and cricket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Yes, horse racing counts (and is #1). Soccer is #2. No on football and cricket. greyhounds, tennis, golf, snooker.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 jai alai? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 greyhounds, tennis, golf, snooker.... Tennis is #3, which was surprising to me. However, when you think about it, it makes sense. Unfortunately, I think a large reason behind the increasing popularity of tennis gambling is the fact that tennis is an individual sport, which makes it very "vulnerable" from a gambling perspective. It is potentially much easier to manipulate the outcome of a tennis match than that of a team sport, especially when it's not that uncommon to see tennis players "throw in the towel" due to injuries/fatigue. Hard to know what is legit and what's not. For those of you who have HBO, there is a very interesting story on this, airing this month on Real Sports (the Greg Gumbel show). Thankfully, Gumbel doesn't cover this particular segment, so it's bearable to watch. I think what stands out to me from this statistic is that the popularity of gambling on a particular sport has 99% to do with the nature of the sport and how it relates to gambling, and very little to do with how popular the sport actually is compared to other sports. In other words, it's a business and nothing more to the majority of gamblers. Those of us who do a little casual gambling on football, hoops, etc. are really in the minority If a sport has the potential to be altered or affected by outside factors/influences, it's going to be a popular sport to bet on, no matter how popular/unpopular the sport is itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I want a link that tells me more money gets spent on tennis than football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 I want a link that tells me more money gets spent on tennis than football. Link "In recent years, the advent of internet betting has sparked a meteoric rise in gambling on professional tennis, making it among the top three most wagered-on sports in the world - and damaging the sport's reputation." The segment on HBO named soccer and horses as the other two sports in the top three. Not trying to start an argument here... I find it hard to believe also. However, I think we sometimes forget that our version of football is pretty much only watched in the U.S., and pales in comparison to other global sports (soccer). Still, I had never even heard of anyone betting on tennis prior to seeing this story. Like I said, I just found it very interesting, and would suggest watching it if you have the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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