Sports have been present in human culture for as long as civilization has been around. Some historians and anthropologists have argued that athletic competition might even predate the concept of civilization. Knowing that it shouldn’t surprise us that sporting events are so popular. But there is one aspect of sports that still puzzles many.
We are speaking about the well-known hobby of betting on sports of course. The uncertainty that awaits every sports bettor is only matched by the thrill that many of them claim to feel in the moment. Sports betting has been around for as long as the games themselves. Many have obviously asked the question; why are we so drawn to the thrills that come with the uncertainty of wagering?
The Uncertainty Itself is a Thrill
There are many who have posited that the simplest answer in this case is likely the correct one. That of course being that uncertainty is its own reward. We’ve seen that wedden op sport is growing in popularity nowadays. The surge in online sportsbooks’ success has prompted many to look into the reason. Most have found that punters enjoy betting because of the uncertainty, rather than in spite of it. Some may be confused that ignorance is the very thing that draws betting fans to the hobby.
The human race has known its fair share of struggles. We do not have the sharp claws or deadly fangs necessary to protect ourselves from predators. Our secret weapon is our ability to recognize patterns and predict outcomes. The tool has serves us well for millennia and continues to still. We now live in a time when we are safer than ever. But our ability to recognize patterns and make predictions is just as sharp. It is why so many are drawn to sports these days.
There are many who would claim that sports betting comes down to luck. While pure chance certainly has its role, it is also true that odds are not based around the luck of the draw. They are based on patterns and data that can help a savvy odds maker create a valid prediction about the future. Our ability to see these kinds of patterns is probably why we are attracted to betting on sports. We can recognize the threads that have led one team to beat another; and we think about financial gain in that moment.
Risk and Reward Mentality
Risk is another aspect of humanity that has been ingrained within us since the very beginning. Men and women have had to take risks since the dawn of human society. We said before that the modern era is one of the safest periods in our history. But that doesn’t mean that our drive to risk it all for a glorious reward is gone. Many people today may not view themselves as risk takers. But the truth is that we take small risk almost every day.
Those who enjoy sports gambling understand the risk and reward dynamic that the average person has with greater society. One of the reasons that they enjoy making wagers is because they see the process as a “controlled” risk. The ability to manage risk is key in any effective business. The sports betting industry today is heavily regulated for that very reason. It is safer to wager on sports now than it has ever been. That regulation has enticed many new players to view sports betting or casino gambling as a way to blow off some steam.
The problem with this approach is that even a controlled environment like the modern sports betting market still requires bettors to rely on some self-control. Problem betting arises when a sports fan forgets themselves and starts wagering a little too frequently. Online sportsbooks have even come up with solutions for this problem. They monitor customer activity for any erratic or compulsive behavior. Many have gone so far as to impose betting limits each month on their clients.
Neurological Factors are at Play
Human decisions all come down to the same thing at the end of the day; chemistry. It is no surprise that there is a neurological component to the drive to take risks if we see it from that perspective. Experts have noticed that certain activities release dopamine into our brains. The “feel-good hormone” is just that; a hormone that makes us feel good when it is released into our brain. We are sure that many can guess by now that dopamine releases when a sports punter wins a wager.
Dopamine has also been called the reward hormone. It is released whenever we achieve some goal and earn the reward that comes with that. One can easily deduce why dopamine is such a big part of gambling with that in mind. Betting on sports gives us a clear goal in mind. Achieving that goal means that dopamine rushes to our brains and gives us that feeling we know so well.
Humans are Social Creatures
The last reason for the immense success of sports betting has everything to do with social interaction. Sports betting shops were a place for fans of the popular games to gather and chat about their favorite teams or athletes. Placing bets was the secondary consideration for many. That level of social interaction is what truly drew many fans to the sports betting industry.
But that social interaction element of sports betting has been largely removed because of online sportsbooks, or so most would have you believe. The truth of the matter is that the internet has only bolstered the social aspect of sports betting. There are now so many social media platforms and discussion forums about sports, that anyone can talk about their favorite teams or players for hours.
Online sportsbooks are simply the industry’s way of adapting to this new reality. They are easily-accessible venues for people to place bets while on the go. The social side of sports remains alive and well in both the digital world and our land-based reality.
