Of the top US sports leagues, there’s a strong case that the NBA is the most universal. Although the NFL is the most-watched, there’s still a very American feel. Few countries play American Football outside of the US, and while the viewing figures might be impressive, it doesn’t convert the same way basketball or baseball does. 

While this might not seem like a particularly relevant point on first impressions, it’s the foundation of how NBA gambling markets have evolved over the last twenty or thirty years.

Look, we’re not saying that nobody outside the US bets on the NFL; that would be a ridiculous fallacy. However, there are many European countries where stadiums full of people will watch basketball and the fact that the sport is more universal means that more people seek out the betting markets that underpin it.

Regional & International Basketball Betting Markets

Although online gambling was in its primitive stages in the mid-to-late 1990s, it coincided with the rise of the NBA and the peak of its popularity—spearheaded predominantly by basketball megastar Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls team, widely regarded as one of the finest basketball outfits of all time. 

Initially, betting on basketball would cover fairly basic markets, but things have come a long way. At the same time, it had an audience in the UK and other countries, but the whole media landscape back then made it far more difficult to watch live games or stay updated with the latest basketball news. NBA betting markets in the modern day provide such a staggering range of options, whether somebody looking to place a simple bet on the result of a game, find an outright market, such as which team will win the playoffs, or hundreds of different in-play markets that change during the game. Markets for individuals such as points scored can also be found on a lot of betting markets during basketball fixtures, especially the bigger games.

Digital Switch In NBA Viewership

The digital switch to basketball betting markets didn’t emerge from nowhere, nor was it notably different from other globally renowned sports. You’d put basketball in a secondary bracket of sporting popularity. While it might not have the sort of global popularity of soccer, and figures for those watching in traditional ways have been dwindling in the US - there are still tens of millions of people globally who have an interest in it, and a significant percentage of them are keen to supplement their viewing with a bet or two. 

While domestic viewing figures might have dropped, it’s not all bad news for the NBA. A more significant focus on international audiences has helped more people seek out games from overseas. Many European NBA fans can register for the NBA League Pass, which gives them live access to every game. 

Gambling Platforms Following Suit

Take this back to the 1990s, before the internet; the most you’d get as an international fan would be a weekly roundup in the paper or a highlight show; this applied to any US sport, whether it was baseball or the NFL. By embracing this digital switch, the NBA has followed the same avenue as many of the betting markets that set the blueprint and showed just how much promise there was in overseas markets and digital devices.

Mobile apps and streaming services are the two driving forces behind the NBA now, whether fans watch the game on their PC, laptop, or tablet or log in to place a bet on a mobile betting app or website. 

This paradigm shift was international throughout the 2000s and most clearly throughout the early 2010s, especially in Europe. As the US has warmed to the idea of allowing sports betting platforms to operate in its state, it’s also become the main route for American NBA fans who want to place a bet on their team.

Summary

Digital platforms will continue to dominate this market for the foreseeable future. The question isn’t whether people will revert to more traditional forms of land-based betting; that is a ship that sailed. Although there is still a market for it, the real focus now stems from how online platforms will use gamblers' changing dynamics and appetites to maneuver themselves into a position where they can become one of the prominent names in the business.

Innovations in payment methods, such as cryptocurrency gambling platforms, have attracted different types of gamblers into the space. The recent rise in the price of Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market has meant that those who have invested and have benefitted from the positive price action are accepting of using the currencies in more ways including gambling. Bitcoin is becoming more of a mainstream concept for people to use for goods and services.