Betting on football is as old as the game itself. Even in the days before formalized rules, local contests provided plenty of opportunity for wagers. As early as 1915, the game was subject to a betting scandal where Manchester United fixed a game against Liverpool in order to maximize betting returns for the players.
Of course, not all betting on football has been as underhand and criminal as that particular instance. The sport has enjoyed a long association with the reputable elements of the bookmaking trade. This association has grown rapidly in recent years, with football betting superseding betting on horse racing for many punters.
For many years, the way most people gambled on football was via the football pools, something which was a British institution for many years. This involved predicting which games would end in score draws, acquiring points that could lead to a jackpot win. The pools information is still given out when football results are read in the media and the Pools Panel
still meets to determine the results
of postponed
games for the coupon.
Many players have become known as punters themselves over the years, with for many years the betting shop and the snooker room was the chosen off-duty haunts of the professional player. While some players have taken their love of a wager a little too far, characters such as Steve Claridge are a real part of football folklore.
Claridge`s love of a bet is almost as well known in the game as his ability to score goals during a lengthy career as a striker. The joke runs that he played for just about every club in England at one time in his career and he now appears on television screens and the radio as a pundit. Doubtless his expertise helps many avoid the pitfalls he encountered during his gambling career.
Now the link between betting and football is much more intense and commercial than it was during the heyday of Claridge`s career. Bookmakers enjoy lucrative sponsorship deals with many leagues and clubs, while television coverage has been revolutionized by the advent of in-play betting.
This means that there is no need now to book Wembley Hotels when it comes to betting on big football matches. In-play betting on a myriad of possible events from a phone or laptop means that punters now can bet from the comfort of their own homes on games taking place many miles away. It has all come a very long way since the early days of the game when Manchester United and Liverpool fixed that game in 1915.