2020 had its fair share of challenges for the sports betting world. The global lockdown and cancellation of the major sporting events caused disappointment and significant drops in the industry revenue. However, sports betting is sturdier than you think. The sphere that generated about 70 percent of the global gambling income annually wouldn’t give up without a decent fight. It still holds firm and keeps you excited while also forging new sports betting trends to stay ahead of the game. 

Both brand-new and already existing notions experienced a surge in popularity. Everything you could imagine is now real, from top sports betting software and platforms to other groundbreaking virtual solutions. No pandemic or consumer behavior changes can affect today’s market. 

Without further ado, let’s explore the latest trends in sports betting to make you an even better punter.

The Huge Spike of Esports Betting  

Trends are prone to change, but this one has come to stay and maybe even revolutionize the industry. As a result of large-scale sporting events’ mass cancellation, virtual sports betting is becoming a major trend.

Based on the Twitch viewership data, the shift from traditional sports betting to esports was smooth and swift. The views had increased up to 6,059,527. As the esports betting awareness is skyrocketing, the audience is expanding, adding tech-savvy youngsters and video game enthusiasts to the mix. 

Esports betting has also faced challenges for the same reasons as traditional sports betting. A couple of long-awaited esports events (such as The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championship) have been canceled.

Once you think that the pandemic outbreak has taken all the excitement away, the industry wows you with brand-new action-packed video games or updates the old ones with fantastic features.

Generous Welcome Bonuses 

Gear yourself up for incredible welcome bonuses. Given that 2020 has been a long year for the sports betting world, you might want to indulge in special bonuses that are among major sports betting trends 2021 has. The good news is that some of the well-established sports betting websites are more than generous this year with special promotions. 

This is because we all suffered damage and deserve a good bonus for trying to keep up with the trends. 

Mobile Gaming is All the Rage

Mobile gaming is breaking all the records when it comes to current sports betting trends. Our daily screen time is whopping, and so are game downloads. The number of online users who prefer gaming from their mobile devices while they are on the go is increasing rapidly. The rumor has it that with booming popularity, this format is challenging traditional PC gaming as well. 

Back in 2018, a Newzoo report already estimated the mobile sector to grow and take over 59% of the market share in 2021. The gaming industry has quickly responded to these changes. Operators developed mobile apps for IOS and Android to enhance the constantly evolving user experiences. Placing bets from mobile has also been simplified. All you need is download the app, and voila, the whole sports betting world is in your hands. 

The possibilities are endless; you can download everything from casual, racing, fights, adventure to board games. With every technological development, the sports betting industry is evolving, adjusting to the new and exciting trends. 

The Rise of Live Point Sports Betting

More and more patterns have been forged in the industry by the constant stream of technological advancements. Now and then, new features to keep up with the fast-paced world of technology are being launched to the market. Live Sports Betting, aka In-Play Betting, is one of them.

These days, with mobile gaming going viral, placing online bets has become more comfortable and more accessible than ever. With the right sports betting website it is now just a matter of clicks. You can wager online in real-time and from nearly any location via your smartphone or other devices. This increasing accessibility enables users to be online 24/7 and place live or in-play bets.

In-play or live-action betting features wagering right during the game, meaning you can bet until it’s over. In-play betting varies from sport to sport. The odds mainly depend on pre-match odds, the on-going score, the time remaining until the end of the round, predictions on the upcoming scores, etc.

According to the data provided by the Gambling Commission’s Review of online gambling in the UK, already one-quarter of online gamblers (mostly people aged 25-34) were placing in-play bets back in 2018. Given the lockdown and escalation of online coverage of large-scale sporting events, these numbers will be skyrocketing, taking in-play betting to the new level.  

VR and AR Making a Splash in Betting

The latest trends in sports betting go hand in hand with innovations and the excitement they bring. Once you think you’ve exhausted the sector with all its features and trends, new ones come forth.

If you are a real thrill-seeker, the introduction of VR in sports betting is for you. Fascinating animations and graphics, close-to-real virtual sporting experience, fantasy league, and more are now available in the comfort of your own home. 

Appropriately designed, some games might even double the excitement of traditional sports. Among the popular VR sports are all-favorite football, baseball, tennis, basketball, horse racing, and more. 

Attend sporting events with your VR devices and have an experience to rave about. You can even be more than a spectator by virtually taking part in the event. You ask for an exciting alternative until the traditional sports are back, you get one. An entirely new experience will draw more and more bettors, but as of yet, it won’t replace the authenticity and emotions of traditional sports. 

We are all excited about the real-life events to come back to normal. However, it is crucial for the sports betting industry to experiment, evolve, and keep pace with the constantly changing modern world trends.