Watching and wagering on sports games online has its origins in ancient Greece. The ancient Olympic Games held in Greece held athletic contests pitting the many different city states against each other. And the earliest recorded betting we know of centered around those early Olympic Games. The Romans adopted sports betting from the Greeks, with the most common and historically familiar wager occurring on gladiators which often times fought to the death. And while online sports games these days are far removed from the ancient Greek and Roman empires, the popularity of sports betting online and the fanaticism of those watching and wagering on their favorite teams and athletes remains the same, whether you're betting on gladiators centuries ago or participating in some modern USA football betting.

Almost as soon as the Internet came to be in 1991, betting on sports games online has been possible. Countries like the sports addicted United States have made it illegal to operate an online sports games website or sportsbook that takes cash bets. It is not, however, illegal for US citizens to place a wager on their favorite team or athlete online, as long as the company they use is headquartered outside of the physical United States. Companies like Bovada and WagerWeb, which have years of history offering online casino gaming, poker rooms, bingo games and sportsbooks, have opened businesses located outside of the US simply to cater for those United States citizens who enjoy both viewing and betting on online sports games offerings from such globally popular professional sports leagues as the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association.

Now that the United States Department of Justice has decided to allow each individual state in the US to rule on the legalities of online betting, the push is on to allow for wagering on sports games online across the United States. Nevada is the state most readily associated with gambling, and at brick-and-mortar casinos in that state you can place wagers on sporting contests held across the globe. However, with the powerful reach of the World Wide Web, it is possible to not only place a wager, but also to watch online sports games from any computer or smartphone with an Internet connection.

Betting on sports games online is an industry which generates hundreds of billions of dollars annually. In 2011 less than 1% of all sports betting in the United States took place in legal Nevada sportsbooks, which claimed $2.88 billion in receipts. But the National Gambling Impact Study Commission estimates illegal wagers in the United States alone is a $380 billion industry. With the vast majority of states not allowing land-based sports wagering, that has United States citizens, as well as sports lovers from other countries, making their bets on online sports games.

The benefits for betting on sports games online as opposed to any land-based sportsbook make a very strong case for choosing the Internet over a brick-and-mortar gambling house. You can access your account 24/7, you do not have to drive or travel to a land-based sportsbook and you only have to power up your smartphone or PC. And many online sportsbooks like the two mentioned above even offer attractive sign-up bonuses which match a portion of your initial deposit. With unmatchable benefits like that, the popularity of watching and wagering on online sports games seems to have a bright future in the United States and worldwide.

 

Other helpful online gaming guides you'll find here include sections on USA lottery games and online video gaming.