The realm of online betting has recently grown and is now one of the biggest industries in the world  with people betting millions of dollars. This is especially the case considering that a long time ago people used  to place their bets in person rather than doing it online. This is because the world of sports,  casinos and gambling has changed due to online betting and it is important to know how it started and where  it may be heading.

The history of online betting can be traced back to the very beginning of the  Internet in the 1990s. The first online gambling site was launched in 1994 after  the Free Trade & Processing Act was passed in Antigua and Barbuda which allowed companies to provide online  gambling services to clients from other countries. At the same time, the first sports book was also  launched, and people could make their wagers on various sports events just from the comfort of their homes.  These initial platforms were quite basic as we know today, and had rather basic design and limited choices,  but they gave a perfect starting point for an industry that would go global.

InterCasino was one  of the first successful online casinos that provided real money gambling in 1996 and many other companies started  to follow. The popularity of the Internet did not decline, but rather increased at the end of the  1990s, which led to the development of online betting, where operators could provide a large  number of games such as blackjack, roulette, video poker and slots. However, as the internet became  more popular and particularly secure, people did not have a reason to avoid making payments and wager on the  site.

In the first few years of the new century, online sportsbooks also started to develop at  a rapid rate, with Betfair being founded in 2000 and introducing the concept of  peer-to-peer betting, which allowed the users to bet among themselves and not just with the house. This also  brought in a new dimension to the whole online betting and was embraced by many people very fast. At  the same time, online casinos were also coming up with new games, live dealers games, and progressive  jackpots which would enable the player to win huge amounts of money.

The emergence of mobile betting  at the close of the last millennium changed the face of the industry. This is due to the development  of the smartphone technology that people were not supposed to be fixed in one place in order to place their  bets. It became possible to develop mobile applications and adapt the website so that the user could make a  bet on sports, play casino games and even real-time poker. This movement towards the mobile platforms helped  to increase the online betting sites’ popularity and growth to date.  

One of the most important events  in the history of online betting was the beginning of cryptocurrency transactions in the 2010s.  Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum provided a way through which players could make their deposits and withdrawals in  a more anonymous and secure manner than with a regular bank account. This offered one more level of privacy  and security that attracted new gamblers who are familiar with the technology. Also, the decentralized nature of  cryptocurrencies made them useful in areas with strict gambling laws since they offered a way to work around some of  the restrictions.

Today, more so than before, the online betting is still growing and new trends such  as live betting, virtual sports, and esports betting are emerging. The advancement in technology, including the  integration of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, is also expected to define the future of online betting and enhance  the player’s experience.  

Therefore, it is possible to state that the history of online betting can  be described as dynamic, technological, and expanding. From the humble beginnings in the closing year of the  20th century, to the current sophisticated and mobile friendly platforms, online betting has made significant  progress. With the continued innovation in technology and the expanding international market, the future of online betting has never  looked better.