Bookmaking is one of the fastest-growing businesses worldwide because sports fans love betting while watching their favorite teams and athletes. The sports betting industry easily generates billions of dollars every year, but can you guess the most popular sports and events?
It turns out that only a handful of sporting events generate enormous interest among bettors globally, so let’s take a look at the seven events with the biggest betting volume.
1. World Cup
Nothing outperforms soccer when it comes to bookmaking. The World Cup takes place once every four years and it grabs the attention of nearly four billion people. According to the international football association, aka FIFA, the 2018 World Cup in Russia hit a new sportsbook milestone as the total global betting turnover for the tournament was an estimated €136 billion. Needless to say, no other sporting event can come even close to this incredible betting volume.
2. Super Bowl
We bet you could see this one coming as it is the most popular match that takes place every year. Even though the Super Bowl is primarily an American phenomenon, it still manages to generate tons of bookmaking interest both inside and outside the US.
The 2020 edition of the most prestigious football game reportedly generated almost $7 billion in wagers. But it should not surprise anyone bearing in mind that online bookmaking sites and the best PA sportsbooks come up with hundreds of props for Super Bowl alone.
3. Boxing
Gone are the days of Mike Tyson and other fighters who made boxing one of the most adored sports in the world, but the truth is that boxing still attracts millions of bettors from all over the globe. Apart from Super Bowl matches, it turns out that the only sporting event that managed to prompt over $100 million worth of wagers was the Floyd Mayweather - Conor McGregor fight back in 2017. More importantly, the figure reveals Las Vegas bets only, while the global betting volume remains unknown.
4. The Grand National
If the words “The Grand National” don’t seem too familiar, that’s probably because you live outside the UK. It’s a national hunt horse race with a near two-century tradition. The Grand National takes place near Liverpool and it gathers all sorts of celebrities and VIPs, including the members of the Royal Family.
Wagers skyrocket during the annual horse race, but they reached the all-time peak in 2017 when bettors placed more than $400 million.
5. Kentucky Derby
There is obviously something special about horse racing that inspires people to place huge bets, so it’s not a surprise to see the Kentucky Derby at number five on our list. The Kentucky Derby is not just a sporting event but rather an important piece of the American tradition as it is held every year in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
Bettors can’t wait for the event to start and you can see it by their wagers. Last year, they placed approximately $250 million betting on the outcome of the Kentucky Derby.
6. March Madness
Who would have thought that college basketball could generate a betting volume of over $8 billion? Well, that’s exactly the value of March Madness if you ask sportsbooks in the US. The annual college basketball championship features nearly 70 matches where future NBA stars can show their skills to the wider public, while bettors seize the opportunity to place bets on everything from the Moneyline to PPG.
7. World Series
Major League Baseball (MLS) gathers 30 teams and features nearly 200 games during the course of the regular season and the postseason. In such circumstances, it’s easy to figure out why baseball games generate around $1 billion in wagers in a single season.
The Bottom Line
If you are not an everyday bettor, you are probably placing bets during one of the most popular sporting events. We discussed seven sporting events with the biggest betting volume, but did you find your favorite pick among these events? Let us know in the comments below!
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