In the last several years, many states worldwide finally decided to say yes to legal sports betting. This move enabled passionate sports fans to support their favorite teams and players by placing wagers and cheering for them even harder. 

Nevertheless, even though both retail and online sportsbooks offer a wide array of betting options, some sports ended up being more popular than others. Here’s a list of sports that players around the world like betting on the most.

Soccer

It comes as no surprise that soccer proudly stands at the top of this list. Soccer has for decades been one of the most-watched sports, and for this reason, it’s also become the go-to option in both retail and online sportsbooks.

Thanks to elite competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and other notable events, soccer has become a popular betting option worldwide. Moreover, the FIFA World Cup held every four years, as well as the UEFA European Championship that takes place every other year, provide extra betting options for soccer fans around the world.

Tennis

Believe it or not, sports fans claim that tennis is their second choice when it comes to betting. This sport is very simple to bet on as you at least know that a match can’t end in a draw. One side has to win, so even if you know nothing else about tennis, you can try to guess who the winner will be and place that bet.

If you feel like getting deeper into the matter, the ATP list is all the material you need. Study it carefully and remember the top ten players that rarely lose matches until the quarter-finals. So, while you may not be able to pick the tournament winner, it will be pretty easy to make the right bets on the starting matches.

Basketball

Basketball is another excellent choice for sports bettors as it offers so many betting options. Whether you follow European competitions or the one-and-only NBA, you’ll always have exciting games to follow and put your money on.

Betting on basketball, apart from the classic match winner bet, includes many other options such as point spread, totals, props, and more.

Horse Racing

If there’s a sport that can be called a pioneer in the gambling industry, it is horse racing. It’s been up and running for many decades now, and it seems like its popularity will never cease.

Perhaps the reason that people love betting on horse racing is the simple nature of this popular pastime. There aren’t many bet types that can be used when wagering on this sport except for the race winner and a few other options. Of course, to be able to spot the winning horse, you should take into account various aspects of the race, such as the weather, surface, and jockey.

Football

In the past, football was only popular in the US. However, in the modern era, sports lovers from other countries have also heard of this exciting sport and started following it regularly. 

The NFL, in particular, has been in the spotlight, as it is by far the world’s strongest football league. As the game started expanding its fanbase, it slowly became attractive to various sports betting operators. For this reason, you can no longer come across a bookie that doesn’t have football in its sports betting portfolio.

Also, as expected, betting on football has become more popular after several US states finally legalized online gambling. Since we expect other states to follow their lead, it’s safe to say that this sport may climb the sportsbooks popularity ladder in years to come.