Although it seems like die-hard sports fans spend a lot more time in the sports book than they do on the casino floor, sports casino games are actually some of the most popular games out there. In online casinos especially, traditional sports-themed slot games centred around football or baseball have given way to sports games far more suited to fans of more casual sports and games.
Of course, some of the most popular sports slots are still those with the widest appeal, such as the massively popular Top Trumps Football Legends slot. But sports video slots are increasingly focusing on sports and games which appeal much more to the typical casino gaming fan.
Now, fishing, snooker, horse racing, and darts are far more likely to be the theme of a sports slot than basketball or cricket. Slots are not the only type of casino game seeing this increase in casual sport-themed games.
The ever popular realm of instant win games has plenty of games which appeal to the sports fan.
The Vegasmaster sports games list of top instant win games includes games focused on horse racing, which is only natural, and darts, which has exploded in popularity in the past few years.
Though old favourites still shine through, as a football penalty kick games is still one of the biggest instant win games on the internet.
While pure sports fans may not find themselves drawn to slot reels with their favourite teams on them, the crossover between casual sports games and casino games is obvious, and these games will continue to be winners into the future.
We can already see this happening. In Australia, while all other forms of betting are trending down, racing and sports betting spending has increased to nearly 4 billion dollars in race and sports betting in the last 4 years.
Americans spend billions each year on sporting events, merchandise and other sports-related activities. Sports gambling in the U.S. is a $400 billion dollar industry, with nearly $300 billion of those dollars coming from non-regulated, illegal bookmaking organizations. The state of Nevada clears $20 billion a year alone in sports gambling.
According to the Nevada Gaming Commission, in 2011 $3.2 billion was wagered in sports bets in the state’s casinos. Of that amount, $1.34 billion or 41 percent was handled just for football. Outside of Nevada the numbers are much bigger.
In the United Kingdom gambling on football is a huge and growing global industry worth billions of pounds per year. While having a flutter at the bookies has long been associated with horse racing, the growth of online betting could see football challenge that position in Britain.
The current estimations suggest the sports match-betting industry is worth anywhere between $700bn and $1tn (£435bn to £625bn) a year. About 70% of that trade has been estimated to come from trading on football alone.
But the main offering area in the skilled gaming arena has always been Fantasy Sports. These season-long affairs have long been dominated by juggernauts like Disney subsidiary ESPN , Yahoo Fantasy Sports, and CBS Sports.
While very financially successful, having to endure an entire season deprives gamblers of the greatest of all pleasures, namely instant gratification. In the past few years the still nascent daily fantasy sports wagering has been successfully filling this void.
Daily fantasy sports lets you draft your team, place your wager, and get paid, all in one day… and you can play almost any day of the year. Play against one opponent or many in a league format. Offerings can satisfy all addicts’ cravings including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA, and NCAA basketball and football. While still considered a niche this industry, like the rest of the sports betting industry is growing at triple digit rates.
