Online gambling isn’t all that new. The first ever online bets took place all the way back in the 90s with relatively popular poker rooms and the start of online casinos. However, things have changed a lot since then, and even some real-world events have directly interfered with the way people perceive online gambling.
First off, since we’re freshly coming off the pandemic-related restrictions, you might remember how physical casinos got closed off during 2020 and the first half of 2021. That played a huge role in the recent rising numbers. But it’s much more complex than that, obviously:
Before the Internet
Gambling has always been regulated. Sure, there used to be only state-specific regulations, but they were in place and being enforced nonetheless. Each state had a clear definition of what gambling meant and how to enforce the rules. Under these conditions, it was relatively simple for a state to control gambling activities.
It literally meant that each state had the power to authorize, support, moderate, or completely ban certain activities or games. However, that was all about to change in the 90s thanks to the rise of the internet among the mainstream masses.
Online Betting in the 90s
When the internet started being adopted by a large number of the populace, a software provider based on the Isle of Man saw the potential of online gambling as a whole. By 1994, we already had a regulatory framework set in stone for online gambling. And the software was also being developed at a rapid pace. However, security was still lacking, which made a large portion of the potential target audience stick to physical gambling just like before.
Online Gambling in the 2000s
The lack of proper regulations meant a huge rise of online gambling websites by the half of 2006. More than 10,000 such websites operated without a license and without consulting any law firm or authority beforehand. Many of them disappeared out of nowhere along with all of their players base’s winnings.
However, things would start to change rapidly as more and more states recognized that online gambling needed to be supervised just as much as brick-and-mortar casinos. As such, regulations regarding money laundering, fraud, and other crimes that plagued the only gambling industry would finally be set in place by the beginning of 2010.
Online Gambling in the 2010s and 2020s
The 2010s saw another flow of excellent gambling websites that offered their users a much safer place to practice their hobby. These relied on statistics providers and other collaborators to bring their userbase a much more secure, accurate, and fair online game than ever before.
With the help of the best football analytics sites and analytical data gathered from the field, cameras, and thanks to the advancements in machine learning, betting odds are much more accurate than ever before, and even beginner gamblers have a much easier time figuring out what they should place their bets on.
Furthermore, even more technological advancements are to be made in the near future. Virtual reality casinos are still being tested, live casinos have seen major success, and artificial intelligence has been able to prevent fraud and phishing attempts much better than ever before. It is indeed a wonderful time to observe the industry and see how it adapts and starts rolling slowly more to the online medium, leaving physical casinos behind (no in their entirety, but you get the point).
Final Thoughts
Waiting for the next technological advancements in gambling is going to be truly interesting. For better or worse, the online gambling industry is growing and it’s here to stay. So those who are against this activity have nothing to do in this regard but analyze what’s happening and take notes.
Anyway, we’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Be sure to leave us a comment down below and tell us what you think about all of this.