The history of betting is a journey from simple wagers between individuals to a massive global digital industry. Here is a brief look at how human intuition turned into a multi-billion dollar business.

The desire to predict an outcome is hardcoded into human nature. As early as 3000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, "astragali" (dice made from sheep knucklebones) were used for games and divination.

• Ancient Greece: Considered the birthplace of organized sports betting. During the first Olympic Games (776 BC), spectators actively placed wagers on the winners of athletic contests.

• Ancient Rome: Betting became a massive spectacle. Romans wagered on gladiatorial combat and chariot races. Rome also saw the first gambling laws (Lex Aleatoria), which attempted to restrict betting, though mostly unsuccessfully.

For a long time, betting was "private"—people simply challenged each other. Modern betting as we know it today originated on the racetracks of Great Britain.

• Harry Ogden (1790s): He is widely recognized as the world's first bookmaker. Ogden was the first to realize that different horses should have different odds based on their actual chance of winning. Before him, people usually bet "even money" or simple 1:1 wagers.

• Leviathan Davies (1850): Alongside Fred Swindell, he opened the first betting shop in London. They began printing "odds lists" (the ancestors of modern betting lines) and posted them throughout the city.

In the first half of the 20th century, betting moved from the shadows of the racetracks into the heart of the cities.

• 1961: The United Kingdom fully legalized betting shops, leading to the rise of industry giants like William Hill and Ladbrokes.

• Diversification: Betting was no longer limited to horse racing; football (soccer), boxing, and other sports were added to the betting lines.

The ultimate turning point came with the advent of the internet.

• 1994: The small nation of Antigua and Barbuda was the first to grant licenses for online gambling.

• 1996: The world’s first online bet was placed. A Finnish fan wagered on a football match between Tottenham and Hereford on the InterTops website.

• The 2020s: The era of mobile apps and Live (In-play) betting. Today, a bet can be placed with a single click from anywhere in the world.

Fun Fact: In Ancient Rome, losing a bet could lead to being sold into slavery to pay off debts. Today, complex algorithms calculate probabilities with millisecond precision to ensure the "house" always has its edge.

The history of betting is a journey from simple wagers between individuals to a massive global digital industry. Here is a brief look at how human intuition turned into a multi-billion dollar business.

The desire to predict an outcome is hardcoded into human nature. As early as 3000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, "astragali" (dice made from sheep knucklebones) were used for games and divination.

• Ancient Greece: Considered the birthplace of organized sports betting. During the first Olympic Games (776 BC), spectators actively placed wagers on the winners of athletic contests.

• Ancient Rome: Betting became a massive spectacle. Romans wagered on gladiatorial combat and chariot races. Rome also saw the first gambling laws (Lex Aleatoria), which attempted to restrict betting, though mostly unsuccessfully.

For a long time, betting was "private"—people simply challenged each other. Modern betting as we know it today originated on the racetracks of Great Britain.

• Harry Ogden (1790s): He is widely recognized as the world's first bookmaker. Ogden was the first to realize that different horses should have different odds based on their actual chance of winning. Before him, people usually bet "even money" or simple 1:1 wagers.

• Leviathan Davies (1850): Alongside Fred Swindell, he opened the first betting shop in London. They began printing "odds lists" (the ancestors of modern betting lines) and posted them throughout the city.

In the first half of the 20th century, betting moved from the shadows of the racetracks into the heart of the cities.

• 1961: The United Kingdom fully legalized betting shops, leading to the rise of industry giants like William Hill and Ladbrokes.

• Diversification: Betting was no longer limited to horse racing; football (soccer), boxing, and other sports were added to the betting lines.

The ultimate turning point came with the advent of the internet.

• 1994: The small nation of Antigua and Barbuda was the first to grant licenses for online gambling.

• 1996: The world’s first online bet was placed. A Finnish fan wagered on a football match between Tottenham and Hereford on the InterTops website.

• The 2020s: The era of mobile apps and Live (In-play) betting. Today, a bet can be placed with a single click from anywhere in the world.

Fun Fact: In Ancient Rome, losing a bet could lead to being sold into slavery to pay off debts. Today, complex algorithms calculate probabilities with millisecond precision to ensure the "house" always has its edge.