Last Updated on January 21, 2026 7:15 am by admin
Many people believe that betting is ‘second nature’. People have been doing it for millennia – dice games were popular in Mesopotamia as far back as 3,000 BC, and Ancient Egyptians engaged in games of Senet. In fact, many of the practices are believed to have been part divination, part religious belief system. Even today, many people still turn to a pack of cards to help them make a decision, or consult with a pack of Tarot for information about the future.
Sports betting has similarly long historical roots. When organized competitive sports emerged, along came gambling. It is reported that the Romans bet on the ancient Olympic Games and the fates of Gladiators facing each other in the arena. Betting in Rome was commonplace and periodically outlawed. Fast forward to modern America, and you could say little has changed. People love to bet and gamble, and they will find a way to do so.
As you are almost certainly aware, for a long time, sports betting was outlawed in the USA. The Professional and Amateur Sports Association (PASPA) imposed a nationwide ban on sports betting, which remained in place for over two decades until the Supreme Court overturned it as ‘unconstitutional. The ban did not stop people from betting; it drove the practice underground and offshore. The constitutional change did not legalize sports betting; it paved the way for states to bring forward legislation to create regulated markets. In 2023, the American Gaming Association reported that over three-quarters of online sports bets were now placed through regulated operators.
While the US market is potentially incredibly lucrative for online gambling platforms, the fact that each state determines its own gambling framework means that the market is fragmented. Despite the rapid growth and transformation of the iGaming and sports betting industries, many operators remain unprofitable. Operators have to make significant investments to win new markets and hope for future profits. Entering a new jurisdiction is costly, with licensing fees and promotion and marketing spend needed to acquire new customers; it can take years to see a positive return.
The cost of entry is high, and while figures show the overall market is increasing in value each year, many operators claim they are struggling to achieve a return on their investment. For bettors, this means the odds might not be as good as they once were, and sports betting bonuses are not as generous as those at online casinos. Some notable names have withdrawn from the North American market, including Kindred Group (Unibet), and the British bookmaker BetFred completed its withdrawal from the US market when it ceased operating in Pennsylvania in July last year.
The obvious choice for both betting sites and punters would therefore be to focus on the more profitable online casino market – particularly the online slots, which are always the most popular game choice. However, it is not that simple, as playing online casino games for real money is legal in only seven states.
While players might want to try out something different, it is not always so easy. To get around legal issues, many platforms are using a loophole that allows play on sweepstakes and social casino sites. These offer all the fun of casino-style and betting games, but do not involve wagering real money. Therefore, players looking for an online casino need to check out what they can and cannot do before migrating towards casino-backed betting platforms. Fortunately, they do not need to navigate alone to find a reputable online casino site (whether for real or virtual money as review sites have already done all the background work for them. In addition to ensuring that what is on offer is legal where a citizen resides, their gambling experts also uncover the most favorable bonuses and promotions.
For bettors who love sports but are looking for something with more of the ‘play’ element found in casino games, daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting is incredibly popular. The two most successful betting platforms currently operating in the US are FanDuel and DraftKings. Both companies started out offering DFS betting, which, because it is deemed to be a game of skill rather than chance, is legal in states where real-money casino betting is not. From fantasy, they transitioned to sports betting to offer their customer both options in markets where sports betting is allowed. These companies are now the dominant force in these markets.
FanDuel was founded in 2009, nearly a decade before PASPA was overturned, meaning it had already built a strong customer base when other operators were only just entering the market. Both they and DraftKings had a massive foothold in the market. According to recent data, the two companies have almost 70% of the total sports betting market. Ironically, they are not allowed to offer their services in the gambling capital of Las Vegas because the Nevada Gaming Control Board ruled in 2015 that fantasy sports is actually gambling, rather than a game of skill, and needs a full gaming license to operate there.
All bettors in the US probably understand that gambling is not straightforward, and that is true for both operators and punters alike. What really matters is finding a way to bet that suits your style and is legal where you live. It could be tempting to consider gambling at an offshore site, but the risks are pretty high as there are little to no consumer protections. Playing certain games that mirror sporting games might seem attractive, but unless the site is adequately regulated, a player could be putting themselves at considerable risk. There is not much fun in that!
As we said at the beginning of the article, gambling is a human trait, and people will find all kinds of ways to engage in the activity. The important thing for players to do is to remember that it is part of the entertainment industry and should be entertaining. While people place bets or play games hoping to win, the realistic expectation is that they will not. Ultimately, the house always wins; if it is not winning, it shortens the odds or withdraws from the market. Casino-backed betting platforms have experience engaging players with entertaining content, and sports betting platforms are now experimenting with it to keep players engaged despite shortened odds.