A history of cricket betting


With an astounding amount of money wagered on cricket, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the sport would be overshadowed by the likes of basketball, baseball or Ice hockey but cricket is in actual fact the most popular sport behind soccer.

The origins of modern-day cricket are certainly debateable but there are certain accounts that indicated that the game was in existence and enjoying reasonable traction as far back as 1597, and in all likelihood a fair number of years before that.

Official court documents provide the first known record where cricket is mentioned albeit in a form known as ‘kreckett’. The court records prove beyond reasonable doubt that the game was played circa 1550, and is the earliest universally accepted reference to the game.

Despite cricket being in existence during this time, the first reference to the game being played as an adult sport was in 1611. As soon as there was adult involvement it was only a matter of time before it would be wagered on.

Cricket betting is by no means a modern development brought about by the era of televised matches or the advent of the internet for that matter but document indicate that cricket betting was rife during the mid to late 1600’s.

Numerous large bets were thought to have been struck in this time which resulted in the parliament placing monetary restriction on cricket betting. The introduction of the Gaming Act 1664 was brought about to limit the amount that punters were allowed to wager on a cricket match to £100. Although £100 may not seem like all that much, its present day value would be worth a considerable sum in excess of £14,000.

Cricket experienced a surge in popularity and in the 18th century became England’s national sport, since then the sport evolved and grew exponentially, with the 20th century seeing the introduction of new formats such as Twenty20, One Day International (ODI) as well as new tournaments including the Indian Premier League, The County Championship, the Australian Big Bash and many more.

The Big Bash is a 20 over cricketing event that’s extremely fast-paced, with international players recruited by Australian clubs to participate in this well-attended league. Not only does the league cater to cricket fans but also to families with a wide range of entertainment on offer, ranging from fireworks, live music to unique boundary performances. With 35 matches played over 40 days this league is ideal for those looking to bet on consistently bet on all the cricket action.

The Big Bash is roughly based on the hugely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) which has become renowned for its massive crowds, lively boundary entertainment as well as the big betting opportunities it offers to fans across the globe. The IPL has become essential viewing for cricket fans with the league becoming the richest cricket competition in the world attracting the top local and best international players.

With a multitude of cricketing events played during the year, it comes as no surprise that cricket is now ranked second in terms of worldwide appeal, with a vast amount of fans following the televised matches as well as a growing following that venture out to the pitches in order to catch all the live action.

With the popularity of online sports betting, cricket betting has now become even more accessible throughout the world with a variety of online betting markets available with punters being able to wager on almost any conceivable action of a particular match.

The days of striking a bet and waiting for a result are long gone, with live in-play or in-running betting taking prominence among punters. This type of betting allows a punter to cast his bets while the match is being played live. This affords unique insights into a bowler and batter’s form and gives the punter more information from which to make an informed bet. In-play/live betting is also very popular as it quite often gives a punter better odds than an outright bet would.

Sportsbooks offer a number of exciting betting markets which are self-explanatory such as match winner, next man out, the next method of dismissal, top batsmen, top bowler, total runs, toss winner, highest opening partnership as well as team bets such as which team will score the most fours or sixes, and so the list goes on.

Furthermore, punters have the opportunity of betting on the correct score of a specified series or match. In addition to that punters can also predict how the first wicket will be lost. The betting options are truly endless and offers gamblers the perfect opportunity of betting on a market which they feel comfortable with.

Sun Bet, South Africa’s best cricket betting site not only offers its punters all of the above-mentioned markets, but its sophisticated website is also 100% secure. This easy to use website regularly offers great cricket betting bonuses and promotions which include VIP cricket tickets to the very best local and international matches featuring South African provincial teams as well as the indomitable Proteas.