Few places in the are more famous for their penchant for gambling than the UK. In this post, you will learn about betting in the UKBrits are known for their openness to Online Cricket Betting ID on almost everything, and this means that it is no surprise that some of the largest betting providers in the world hail from these shores. But just how did we get to a situation in which the average Brit spends around £135 on betting a year, and around 50 percent of Brits have gambled in the last four weeks?

The Dawn of the Betting Era

The dawn of the modern betting era can be pinned to the 1961 Betting and Gaming Act. Before this act was passed, it had been illegal to place wagers on sporting events, but all this prohibition did was mask the enormous black market betting industry that already existed. Here is  non Gamstop football sportsbooks,

The idea behind the new act was to bring illegal betting operations that were usually controlled by gangs and organised crime over to the legal side of the tracks. The new legislation and licensing laws proved very successful in doing this. In the first six months after the act, there were 10,000 licenced betting shops in operation in the country. 

Mainstream Betting

Since 1961, betting in the UK has gone from strength to strength. Legalisation played a massive role in changing negative perceptions of betting. Whereas people had previously associated the practice with shady dealers with clandestine operations, the new betting companies invested vast sums of money into bringing betting into the mainstream.

Two of the biggest names to enter the scene in the early days were Ladbrokes and William Hill. These two companies quickly grew, taking over a large number of smaller betting shops as they began to dominate. Today, they have outgrown British shores and have expanded into international markets with great success, but their roots lie in a period that what many call the “Golden Age” of British betting. (fabulouseyebrowthreading)

The Internet Revolution and Offshore Registration

If you head down to a town centre in Britain these days, you will find that many of the betting shops that used to be buzzing with activity on a Saturday afternoon have now been closed. This is because the vast majority of bookmakers now do most of their business online. 

Online bookmakers have brought betting markets to the users with the use of mobile apps that offer in-depth statistics, live streams and an endless supply of odds and betting opportunities. However, another big advantage for the betting companies has been that by focusing their attention on online markets, they have been able to go international. By registering their companies in one of a growing number of gambling-friendly offshore jurisdictions, British gambling providers have been able to break new ground in Europe and beyond.

So there we have it – a brief history of betting in the UK. With all this talk of gambling has got you hot under the collar to try your luck, head down to an online gambling provider today. If poker is your game, make sure to check out this fantastic If Poker counting cards article to give yourself the edge over your competitors.