Sports betting has been around for ages. The earliest form of wagering can be traced back to 700 BC during the ancient Olympic games. Recently this activity has become more popular due to the introduction of online betting platforms like Betway.
Football/soccer is arguably the most popular sport people bet on. In this article, we will look at the impact of online sports betting on football and how it's influencing the game.
Increased Engagement
People are more likely to be invested in a game when they have a financial stake at risk. Betting platforms increase fan engagement through things like odds tracking and live bets. This makes fans more interested in watching football matches to see how they can adjust bets as the action unfolds.
According to research, sports betting also leads to bettors becoming fans of new teams because of emotional investment from following results and performances. This increases the viewership when these teams play. Unfortunately, sports betting can have a negative impact on viewership since several bettors have admitted to stopping watching a game if their team starts losing.
Improves Accessibility of Live Matches
Bookmakers are adopting live streaming to attract more viewers on their platforms. For example, you can now comfortably follow a live football match on the betway app, provided you have an active internet connection.
Through live streaming, football matches are accessible in real-time to viewers across the world. This in turn increases engagement and viewership.
Better Brand Deals and Sponsorships
Several betting sites sponsor different teams. For instance, Betway has been one of the main partners of West Ham United since 2015. When fans spend money placing bets online, bookmakers can collect revenue to sponsor different teams.
This leads to multi-million dollar marketing campaigns and brand deals that benefit both players and football clubs. With such deals, clubs can get better training facilities and infrastructure or even afford to sign new players. Betting sites in turn get publicity from these deals and gain more popularity among fans, which creates a win-win situation.
Enhances Merchandise Sales
Increased football viewership and fan engagement can also boost merchandise sales. Once sports betting fans get emotionally invested in a team, they end up purchasing player jerseys or other merchandise to show their support.
Additionally, more sports betting fans are likely to purchase tickets to watch the game in person. This leads to high ticket and food and beverage sales in the stadium, which increases the revenue collected.
Match Fixing
One negative impact of sports betting on football is match-fixing. Players, referees, and other powerful people may try to manipulate the outcome of a game for financial benefits. In football, there have been several match-fixing scandals, especially at country levels or in smaller leagues.
This affects the integrity of football and may even discourage some fans from following matches. It can also lead to serious legal consequences for the people involved.
Conclusion
Online sports betting has had a major positive impact on football. Thanks to an increase in its popularity, people can follow live matches, and clubs benefit from sponsorships. However, sports betting comes with some risks, like match-fixing and addiction.
