Sports betting and casino games have been around for a very long period of time. In the days of ancient Rome, horse races were common as well as games like Tali (basically a form of ancient dice gambling), Terni Lapilli, and Duodecim Scripta. In fact, gambling in Roman times wasn’t far from ours today. Institutions were strictly regulated and cheating was highly forbidden. But gambling for money was considered illegal and those caught engaging in such activity could face penalties up to four times the size of their bet!
Today, most countries across the globe have taken more lenient stances towards gambling; its growth since 1900 has proliferated into one of the most widely enjoyed pastimes globally. Nowadays, there practically isn’t a sport out there that you can’t place a bet on.
So what’s the difference between sports betting and casino games? Well, there are some pretty vast differences between the two, even though the same principle of placing a bet and hoping for a favorable outcome is largely the same in both categories.
Sports Betting
Sports betting entails wagers placed on sporting events, or more specifically an individual sport, and provides fans of either type with an extra thrill. Betting increases enjoyment while adding excitement. Some bettors don’t really enjoy the sports themselves, but simply enjoy calculating the odds of one team winning over another, or which horse will finish first.
Every year, more than $190 billion is spent on sports betting, cementing it as a fixture in the gambling world.
Popular games to wager on for betting include soccer, American football, horse racing, dog racing, golf, tennis, boxing/MMA/E-sports (video gaming). Since the emergence of the internet sports betting sites have added even more international leagues and tournaments as possible markets to wager upon. This means people have more options to choose from, and don’t just have to stick to games happening locally.
If you enjoy watching sports a lot and think you know the game or your team well enough, then sports betting is likely for you. It’s a great way to test your knowledge of the sport and can really help you get more out of each game. It’s also really fun to do with friends, as you can pit yourselves against one another and see who knows the game the best.
In many states, sports betting apps and websites are still a grey area, although it’s becoming increasingly legalized and is now available locally in over 30 states. New York saw a massive revenue from sports betting shortly after legalizing it, yet the situation remains complicated in Florida. Mississippi and Montana allow in-person sports betting but not online.
California and Texas are two of the biggest states not yet to allow either form of betting. However, since sports wagering is now legal on a constitutional level, you can still safely bet on your favorite sports so long as the site or app you’re betting on is based offshore, such as those on a list from readwrite.com.
Casino Games
As noted before, casino games have existed for millennia now. While much has changed during that time period, many classic casino games remain highly sought-after today and include:
- Poker
- Baccarat
- Roulette
- Blackjack
- Bingo
- Slots
- Dice
But these are really just some of them. In most online casinos, you can find newer games like Pachinko, Plinko, Crash, Keno, and even games based on popular game shows like ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ and ‘Deal or No Deal’.
Online casinos typically provide more games to choose from when compared with sports betting, since sports bettors must primarily predict an outcome, while casinos allow customers to select different titles with various rules, betting systems and odds structures. This is why sports betting is really ideal for fans of the sport itself, as they’d likely enjoy watching the game anyway, while casinos are better suited for people looking for classically entertaining games, dazzling spectacles, and fixed odds.
Most casino games add an element of skill, which means that with good practice and by following the best strategy, you can actually get better at them and increase your chances of winning. Unlike sports betting, where your bet is decided purely by how well someone else performs, casino games give you the chance to enjoy fixed odds based on the game you’re playing and make split-second decisions that can have a real outcome on the game at hand.
This is often favored by people who like to know what their odds are and have the time and dedication to get practice at a game and get better at it. In general, casino games tend to give players a higher RTP (or Return To Player), which means you have more chances at winning.
It’s also important to note that the laws around online casinos are often stricter than those for sports betting in the US, and they’re currently only legal in a handful of states. It’s likely that more states will adopt them in the future, but currently, they’re available in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Connecticut and Michigan. However, like sports betting, overseas, offshore online casinos are generally widely available across the country.
Conclusion
Ultimately, sports betting and casino games still work on similar principles in terms of their probabilities even though they are different in practice. Sports betting is ideal for sports fans, or those who think they can calculate all the variables and determine the most likely outcome. Casino games are better suited to those who like a fixed set of variables that are easier to determine and to figure out their chances from there.
Ultimately, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying both, so if you aren’t sure which you like most, be sure to try them both out and you’ll soon get an idea of which is better suited to your tastes.
