Processes around us have been changing for as long as they’ve existed. Yet, with the onset of the era of technology, these changes have accelerated to an extent that every few decades the way we conduct our business and go about our daily lives changes drastically. Sports betting is no exception to the influence of the technology. It has already been impacted to a very large extent. If before people had to go to physical locations and place their bets in person, now they can do so without leaving the confines of their room. The internet has made it possible for anyone to participate in sports betting from anywhere as long as they have a mobile phone and internet connection. Still, the technology itself is advancing at an incredibly fast pace and it forces the processes that depend on it to advance as well. There are some changes we can expect in sports betting that will be caused by the modern technology (original article can be found via this link).
Virtual Reality will enhance the viewing experience affecting sports betting
There has been a lot of progress made with Virtual Reality in the last couple of years. Developers have come up with devices that increase the realisticness of computer-generated visual and auditory stimuli so that people feel transported to the environments. For sports, this can translate to a much more immersive viewing experience. Imagine being able to observe a football match with a 360-degree view of the field and the ability to control the viewpoint. Although this kind of experience is still not available for live sports matches, it is only a matter of time until the audience is able to experience sports games this way.
The advancements in VR technology will likely affect the viewership of these sports as more customers will be drawn to the games. Sports betting itself naturally depends on sports viewership. More fans there are, the higher the number of people willing to place bets on their favorite sports teams. As a result, the improvement in VR technology is likely to affect sports betting positively.
AI and predictive algorithms are getting better at forecasting the results of the games
Not all technological change is bound to have a positive effect on sports betting. There are predictive algorithms which use Artificial Intelligence in order to predict the outcomes of various processes, including the sports games. Although the science has still a long way to go when it comes to AI, there are some serious advancements being made. Consequently, these algorithms are getting increasingly better at giving the right forecasts. Unanimous A.I. is a startup that serves exactly this purpose. Using advanced technology, the company is able to make exceptionally accurate predictions. The algorithms developed by the startup have already been able to predict the results of Super Bowl as well as eleven out of fifteen Oscar winners.
It is not necessarily clear what effect the predictive algorithms will have on sports betting. After all, it will not become possible anytime in the nearest future to predict the results with full accuracy and as long as there is a room for uncertainty, there will be a room for sports betting as well. It might become more boring as the betting agencies incorporate these algorithms in determining the odds.
Cheap access to the internet will increase the involvement in sports betting in many parts of the world
Although in the developed world people have easy access to the internet, this is not the case for other parts of the world. With the advancements in technology, the developing countries will get easier access to the internet. In addition, these services along with the devices to access them on will become cheaper. Smartphone penetration rate in the majority of the countries is still under 50%, which means that more than half of the planet doesn’t own the smart devices to access online betting websites on. As these devices become more commonplace, more people will become involved with sports betting.