The rise of American football betting outside the U.S.
American football as a sport has experienced a huge expansion in recent years and it’s mainly due to the fast increase of popularity this sport has gained outside the United States, actually the industry in America has been quite tense by a significant decrease on the NFL ratings, ironically the NFL is one of the very few leagues of American football in the world that is showing a decrease on popularity.
The dynamism this sport has shown world wide has a relevant impact in the world of sports betting as we know fans always look for ways to add some excitement to watch their favorite teams. Through this article we’ll review this relation between international growth and betting expansion of American football. Remember it’s always advisable to make a quick research about the regulation of sports betting in your place of residence to make sure you have all the relevant info on online casinos and sports betting before gambling with real money.
American football is really going global according to the International Federation of American Football , there are 105 nations that have registered their national federation of this sport. The number of countries that play the game is huge and of course the popularity of the game changes from one country to another having some countries that have been great ambassadors for the sport.
In Europe, American football has already a big audience. There are several European countries that have influenced in the positioning of the sport, however there are a few that has increased their game level considerably in recent years; Germany, Austria and France are the best examples. Nevertheless, there is one country that has been expanding their passion not only for American football but also in American football gambling, we are talking about the United Kingdom, this country presents one of the quicker increase of popularity in American football gambling in the world, according to William Hill in 2014 the number of bets on the NFL in the country had a year on year growth of 40%.
The case of China is a very interesting demonstration of fans globalization, some of the greatest American football associations in China were stablished by former players and fans that were based in the United States and once moved to China decided to help the game conquer this country motivating new players and creating an important audience for the sport, currently there are more than 16 teams in China and approximately more than 5000 people playing this amazing sport.
Canada is another country that not only has been a sport ambassador for American football but also to American football betting, especially in British Colombia where the value of the bets realized to the 2015-2016 season reached the $14.6 million. In fact, both country neighbors of United States: Canada and Mexico have shown solid audience for the sport and for online sports gambling.
American football gambling is spreading all around the world except on America. As is well known, in the United Stated the bets on American football are limited to fantasy sports, and this betting modality is incredibly popular among American fans. Fantasy betting is famous world wide because this is an excellent way for devoted fans to take profit of all they know about the game, teams and players and also gives a great incentive to follow closely every match. However, this remains a very limited offer for the country that created the sport.
It’s been a while since the situation of the football gambling in the United States has created a significant friction between all parties involved. For many years the American Gaming Association (AGA) has called for a change on the legislation to allow sport events, as this restriction has only straightened the illegal gambling channels. In fact, according to Forbes the AGA estimated in 2015 that the amount of money Americans wagered illegally in National Football League and College Football by Americans was $95 billion. A clear statement of users looking for this entertainment service and we must not forget users are the most beneficed by an online gambling regulation as they can avoid frauds and protect their financial and personal information while adding a little bit of adrenaline to watching their favorite sport.