True Or False: This Is In An Unprecedented Era Of Gambling

The expansion of legal sports betting in the US is often referred to as unprecedented, but I can think of at least two other momentous events in the last twenty years.

Unprecedented. That’s a word you will often hear when the discussion turns to the spread of sports betting. Statements like, “This is an unprecedented expansion of gambling” or an “unprecedented increase in access” are a common refrain.

But is it true? I would argue that the current spate of legalization is of a lesser scale than the two previous events I will detail below. 

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The Poker Boom

Twenty years ago, there was a genuinely unprecedented expansion of gambling.

Some guy with a fitting name and an improbable story that included winning his way into the tournament via an online satellite emerged victorious in the most prestigious poker tournament in the world.

When Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, it was the first time ESPN covered the tournament from start to finish and used hole-card camera technology, allowing the entire world to witness Moneymaker’s journey.

It was also the first time online poker site domains were plastered all over participants’ clothing. And for good measure, throw in the launch of the World Poker Tour and the cult classic status of 1998’s Rounders.

Everything came together perfectly.

At that time, online gambling had existed for nearly a decade, and online poker had existed for about five years. However, gambling sites only started to proliferate with sleek new software in the prior couple of years. This, coupled with the Moneymaker effect — a tangible example of the legitimacy of online poker sites — led to a significant increase in online gambling.   

By 2005, you would be hard-pressed to find a young male who wasn’t playing poker or betting online. Even if they were previously unaware of online gambling, as soon as they signed up for a poker account, their eyes were simultaneously opened to the world of online sports betting and casinos.

The Poker Boom era was a game-changer. It put online gambling on the map, and anyone with a computer could gamble from the comfort of their home and in complete privacy. The era fundamentally changed the way people gambled, making it more accessible and convenient than ever before.

The Rise of DFS and Mobile Apps

About a decade ago, there was another shift.

Fast-forward to 2015, when we saw another significant shift in the gambling landscape as the world entered the era of mobile apps.