When the US Supreme Court finally made its momentous decision back in 2018 to permit sports betting, it was, quite literally, a game-changer. After many years of objections from the major leagues to legalization, they finally started to see its potential.

But what no one could have predicted seven short years ago was quite how quickly sports betting would develop.

As more and more states began to allow it, many sportsbooks offered US bettors many choices.

The fact that this also occurred during almost unprecedented technological advancement ensured that the activity quickly became more leisurely, with many benefits for sportsbooks and bettors.

For the former, it has allowed them to run their businesses more efficiently and profitably. For the millions of sports fans in the country, it has meant more freedom, increased choice, and security.

Here’s how.

The rise of mobile sports betting

There was a time when any sports bets had to be made at the track with a relatively limited range of options.

Like so many elements today, the internet’s connectivity has changed this completely. Today, a smartphone is all needed to place bets from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.

Sportsbooks and their developers have responded by creating ever-more user-friendly apps to create a genuinely frictionless betting experience. Research has shown that mobile betting is set to significantly increase over future years, so that we can expect further advancements in this area.

Data analysis and modeling

Never before has sport been so awash with data. Every action on and off the field is now being recorded somewhere and via multiple channels. However, whereas before, there may not have been the processing power or capability to analyze it, this is no longer the case.

Now, everything from player performance, overall trends in a sport, and even the projected weather conditions can be data crunched by the sportsbooks in deciding the odds. This means they are now closer than ever to accurate, statistical predictions of particular outcomes.

To take the NFL playoff odds as an example, these will have been arrived at by taking in data drawn from the regular season and much further than that.

For bettors, this wealth of data is also instrumental when making informed decisions about where to place their money, and there are plenty of resources online for them to access.

Live betting

One of the field’s most significant and mold-breaking advances has also been the arrival of live betting. As the name suggests, this is the ability to place bets as a game or event unfolds.

Again, this has been facilitated by sportsbooks’ massive data analytical ability to offer an agile and fast-moving range of odds for many elements in a game, which may change from minute to minute.

From the bettors’ perspective, this provides an even more engaging and immersive experience with the added thrill of seeing quick results for any wagers they place in play.

A wider choice of bets

Another advancement, and one that is particularly relevant in the field of live betting, is the ever-increasing number of different types of bets that have become available. Sometimes known as proposition bets, these can cover events in the game rather than their overall outcome. Football could be an example to predict the number of passing yards in the first quarter or the number of touchdowns across the whole game.

Many bettors use these in combinations with the idea that if at least some of them come off, they will be in profit, whereas a simple moneyline or spread bed is a binary win or lose.

Increased security

While many people have expressed reservations about what AI will mean for us in the future, in the present day, it is undoubtedly making sports betting safer. That’s because sportsbooks are increasingly using it to both identify betting activity that appears to be suspicious and to build in extra security measures for their bettors.

The result is an environment in which hackers and other cyber criminals can quickly identify and shut down fraudulent activity.

Better service

AI is also helping to raise service to a whole new level through super-responsive chatbots and other customer support, whether it’s answering queries, placing bets, or providing general information.

While all these ways that tech is changing sports betting are undoubtedly impressive, there’s also the feeling that this is just the beginning. With virtual and augmented reality also in the picture, the next leap forward could feature them, too.

So watch this space!