When it comes to gambling and having a lucrative betting scene, our thoughts normally go to the United Kingdom, a place where football, boxing, tennis, and many other sports dominate the scene. With such an intense portfolio of athletes, the English betting scene is thriving. Every week, you have ample betting opportunities should you happen to be in the United Kingdom, however, a growing betting market is emerging, and here we are witnessing the inception of betting in the Irish community, as we enjoy the rise of online gambling in Ireland.
What athletes contributed to the rise of online gambling in Ireland?
Just like many other countries across the globe, Ireland does have its fair share of good sportspeople, and today we take a look at who the Irish follow religiously, who they wager bet on, and also why.
Katie Taylor – Female Boxing
You cannot mention female boxing without mentioning the name Katie Taylor. Starting off as a footballer, Taylor started training boxing when she was a little girl, sparring with her professional boxer father, and coach. Having taken gold in the 2012 London Olympics, Taylor decided to move on to a professional level and managed to attain 4 major boxing world titles – the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO belts. All Ireland cheered on Katie when she won gold, and everyone placed a bet on Katie when she needed to attain and defend her boxing titles. Her next bout is set to take place on the 30th April 2022 against Amanda Serrano, a fight dubbed #ForHistory. This will be the first time that a female boxer will be headlining Madison Square Garden in New York, an event that has already sold out, and also setting the ball rolling for the induction of female boxing, a sport that normally is very much male-dominated.
As bets start rolling in, Katie Taylor is set to defend her undisputed titles. Many will keep their bet safe by a wager on Taylor, however, Amanda Serrano is not a boxer to throw away. An upset bet will be quite rewarding here.
Connor McGregor – Mixed Martial Arts
Conor McGregor is one of the biggest athletes and icons that have come out of Ireland. Albeit sometimes notorious and makes the wrong headlines; McGregor is one of Ireland’s jewels and brings in the bets for all the big Irish bookmakers. He was a UFC and Cage(UltimateFighting Championship) lightweight and featherweight champion and went on to dominate the Cage Warriors in the 2 mentioned divisions.
Just to give you a glimpse of why Connor generates so much frenzy and betting, he won his first debut boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, a sold-out 4.3 million Pay Per View event. His next match saw McGregor square off with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC229 with the event netting in a further 2.4million Pay Per View purchases.
With McGregor always hitting the press, sometimes for the wrong reasons, the athlete seems to have gained quite a following. Punters want to know what McGregor is doing both on and off the fighting ring, and hence the Irishman is one of the front contenders in keeping the local bookies busy.
George Best – Football
Before there was Connor McGregor or even Katie Taylor, there was football legend George Best. Back in the days when George Best was a Manchester United legend, he was compared to the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, and today’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. That is how great of a football player Best was. Back in the day when Best played football, there were no online casinos or online bookmakers, however, Manchester United fans always made it part of their schedule to head over to land-based bookies and wagered money on the player scoring. Best was a legend in his own right and scored a whopping 137 goals during his Red Devils tenure.
Having been born in Ireland, Best kicked off the football betting in his homeland, paving the way for the sports to flourish more, whilst gaining steady popularity. The rise of George Best and Irish football betting paved the way for other athletes like Roy Keane and Paul McGrath. If you head over to any town in Ireland and ask any Irish why they bet on football, the answer will be quite a simple one: George Best.
Ireland is a rich country, one that has always excelled in giving us some of the best athletes out there. In athletics, boxing, football, racing, and even marathons, you will find an Irish athlete that has achieved their stripes for every sport in Ireland. So, when you ask us about the rise of online gaming in Ireland, there is only one thing that we can attribute the flourishing market to; its athletes.
