Sports Then and Now

Sports betting has changed dramatically in a short time. Thanks to the law changing in the US, states can now lift restrictions on sports betting, and more Americans are placing bets than ever before.

This comes when the availability of the internet has led to a rapidly growing number of online sportsbooks. These sites have shaken up the industry, giving players more options and better value. New technology in PA betting apps means that we can place bets from our phones and have more choices than ever when it comes to betting.

Here are some of the main ways that sports betting has changed in the last twenty years:

Easier to Place Bets

People interested in placing bets have more ways than ever to bet on their favorite sports. New online sportsbooks regularly pop up, offering players the best odds and most convenient ways to place bets. On top of this, the rise of smartphones means that sites are increasingly catering to mobile users.

A few years ago, if you were out and wanted to place a bet, you’d either have to visit a retail sportsbook or wait until you got home. Nowadays, you can simply pull your phone out of your pocket, load up your online sportsbook app or site, and pick your bet.

For many Americans, the only way to place sports bets a few years ago was to go to Vegas. Nevada was the only state where sports betting was allowed. Even then, you had to visit a retail sportsbook, and online sportsbooks were restricted. Now, thanks to the change in federal law, many states are starting to allow sports betting. These changes are all making it even easier for sports fans everywhere to join in the action.

More Readily Available Information

One of the best ways to be successful and make money when betting is to have good access to information. Things like statistics, player history, and injury news, form records, and highlights are all crucial. Just twenty years ago, a lot of this was hard to come by, especially for more obscure sports.

In today’s world, however, you can get any information you like on any sport, team, or player instantly. The internet is full of the latest statistics and form sheets. Plus, you can find the latest highlights and clips posted during or directly after the game.

As well as all this, social media is an excellent way to get information directly from the athletes and teams themselves. Most major sports have excellent coverage on social media. You can find the latest team news before anyone else by following the right accounts.

The increase in information available to fans has helped to even the playing field a little.  

Better Lines

One negative thing that has come about in recent years is that sportsbooks have gotten smarter with their odds. Whereas value in the odds was something you could regularly find in the past, it’s slowly getting rarer to find. This is especially true when the sportsbooks first set the opening lines.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that value is impossible to find, just that you have to look a little harder to discover it. You’re probably not going to find value in the major events, but if you dig below the surface and take a look at more obscure events, it’s a bit more frequent.

More Variety in Bets

It’s good to see that many online sportsbooks are giving players more options when it comes to bets. These days, major sporting events will have lists of prop bets as long as your arm. While these bets don’t always offer the best value, they can still provide a lot of fun.

On top of the increase in bets, sites now offer a much wider variety of sports and leagues. It would have been unheard of just ten years ago, but these days you can find plenty of sites offering odds on eSports and other more niche options. There are also loads of options if you like to bet on college sports and lower-level competitions.