Online betting is a big thing in many countries these days, and indeed the nature of the Internet is such that sites can certainly cross national boundaries. However, it’s interesting to think about where the most popular spots are, and what the popularity of online betting in different places says about pastimes and the characters of the places involved.

Many of the top countries for online betting won’t surprise you. What didn’t make the list of top-grossing countries is India. However, online sports betting in India and other parts of South and East Asia is becoming increasingly popular. Let’s take a look at some of the top spots for online betting.

The United Kingdom

The UK comes out on top of the list of biggest online betting countries. The country grosses over $12 billion a year on online games. Gambling in general is not stigmatized in the UK; it is legal and condoned by much of British society. However, physical casinos are scarce in many parts of the country, so for a large part of the population they would be hard to reach.

Although the UK enjoys a high level of activity in online betting, it also sees problems in this area. In particular, fraud can be a major issue. It is estimated that there are several thousand cases of various gambling-related crimes in the country every year, including incidences of theft and fraud. For this reason, advocates are pushing the government to tighten some of the policies that have allowed these things to occur.

The United States

The US comes in second to the UK at just over $11 billion in online betting every year. Gambling in general is glorified in US culture, with places such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City being considered cultural icons in the country. 

Gambling in the US was initially considered a social activity, just as playing sports or many other kinds of recreation are. It is seen as a way to bond and spend time with friends. With the onset of the Internet, this started to change. But the place that the activity holds in the heart of Americans remains the same.

Interestingly, online betting is not legal in every state in the US. Only New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia allow it. Even Nevada only allows online poker. Apparently they want to keep people in the actual casinos…

Australia

The third biggest country for online betting is Australia. They manage to gross $7 billion a year for these activities Down Under. There, too, the initial love was with in-person casinos, but this trend gradually started moving online recently, and then took a big jump during Covid. 

Australians are big into crypto gambling, among other things. They like the anonymity that it provides, as well as the fact that it allows for fast withdrawals, big bonuses, and comparatively low fees. And this is something that can cross borders, too; with crypto, people don’t have to worry about potentially incompatible currencies because the winnings have universal value.

In addition, gambling with NFTs is gaining speed there, as it is in other parts of the world. People are entering into big NFT tournaments that offer grand prizes. Also, gaming for profit using NFTs has been growing in popularity recently. 

The world is moving online

The online betting craze is building in many parts of the world. In places that have been slow to get online, perhaps the numbers aren’t quite as high yet as they are in certain other areas. But this will all change soon as telecoms systems pick up globally.

Additionally, there is a growing diversity in the games and sports that people wager on. Just as easily as you can win with a self-made NFT kingdom in an online game in Brazil, you can bet on football in India. Moreover, governments’ respective legal stances will change. It is getting harder for governments to stop people who want to participate since proxies and other tools make it possible for people to visit the websites they choose. It would be wiser to control the activity so that it continues to be beneficial and equitable for participants.