According to recent statistics from various reliable sources, sports betting at licensed and regulated iGaming sites remains the slightly more popular form of online gambling in 2024, with more people placing bets on their favourite sporting events than any other form of gambling.
However, playing online casino games isn’t too far behind and is currently the second most popular way to gamble online. This is followed by online poker, lotteries, and other legally permitted online gambling activities.
Let’s dive straight in to discover more about sports betting and online casino gambling in 2024 and find out why sports betting is more popular than ever.
Why is sports betting the most popular way to gamble online in 2024?
Modern technological innovations have made sports betting more accessible and convenient than ever.
People can now place in-play bets (aka live bets) as the action unfolds from their Wi-Fi/internet-connected smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer and no longer have to go down to the nearest betting shop to place pre-match bets long before the action starts.
Within five minutes of a sporting event starting, some people have already lost their pre-match bets.
The event plays out completely differently from how even the experts thought it might have gone, so being able to place in-play bets like this enables bettors to place newer, more informed bets that have a better chance of winning so they can hopefully recoup some of their losses.
Services like this provide accurate real-time odds that have helped sports betting become more popular in recent years. Additionally, more betting markets are available per sporting event, and the odds have never been more competitive, which is great for sports bettors.
Is online casino gambling anywhere near as popular as sports betting?
Yes. Online casino gambling is almost as popular as sports betting. In fact, most people who place sports bets regularly play online casino games, too.
It’s why many of today’s most popular iGaming sites have online sports betting services and thousands of online casino games from multiple award-winning providers all on the same website.
Live streaming capabilities, more efficient web browsers, better computer-generated games with higher RTP% payout rates, cutting-edge live dealer casino games, improved graphics/animations/bonus features/game engines, and bigger jackpots have helped make online casinos more popular than ever.
Today’s best iGaming sites offering mobile and tablet casino games and sports betting services all under one roof also now have impressive security features to protect players’ accounts, and they have a range of ‘safer gambling tools’ (aka responsible gambling tools) available.
These tools are designed to prevent gambling problems from occurring.
What kind of safer gambling tools can help me manage my bankroll?
If you attempt to sign up to a UK online sports betting casino website in 2024, you should only play at sites that are fully licensed and regulated by the globally renowned UK Gambling Commission.
These sites are controlled by reputable operators who actively promote responsible gambling and have many safer gambling tools in place for players to use.
There’s also the age verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) policy, which requires operators to check the people who sign up to their websites are of legal age (18).
The account verification process must be completed before players can gain full access to the services provided on that site. If they don’t get their details verified, they won’t be able to withdraw, or their account could temporarily be frozen until they get fully verified.
When a player has been fully verified, and there will be no restrictions on their accounts, they can enjoy playing their favourite games or placing sports bets uninterrupted.
To help them gamble responsibly, they are advised to use one or more of the following safer gambling tools that ALL UK casinos provide:
- Deposit limits – players can now set daily, weekly or monthly deposit limits, which many find work and help them stay on top of their spending
- Win/loss limits – when you win or lose a certain amount, you will receive a reminder, which is great for people who easily lose track of time
- Session time limits/reminders – if you set a session time reminder and then reach that time, you will be notified that it’s time to stop
- Time-outs – players can set times outs ranging from 24 hours up to six weeks, and in that time, they won’t be able to log in, deposit, play, or withdraw
- Self-exclusions – if players want to quit entirely and no longer wish to gamble, they can self-exclude for much longer periods
Thanks to tools like this, it’s much easier for sports bettors and online casino players to gamble responsibly and remain within their budgets.
At certain times of the year, when there’s not much sporting activity happening on the global stage, sports bettors spend more time playing online casino games.
When certain sporting events are held, and major competitions like the English Premier League start back up again, sports betting activity increases because those same bettors are spending less money on playing casino games and more on betting on the outcome of their favourite sporting events.
If you decide to do either, remember to stick to websites that have been carefully handpicked, fully vetted, and reviewed by globally renowned iGaming review sites like the official casinos.com website.
Most of their suggested sites have sports betting services and casino games on the same site, and they have exclusive welcome bonuses for all new players.
