The rise of the UK betting market in general has been stratospheric. As of 2023, it’s now estimated to be worth over £14 billion per year. This growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon either, with the industry growing at more than 5% each year.
Golf betting has both helped to drive, and been driven by, this overall rise. Golf is not only one of the nation’s most popular sports to play. It’s also one of the biggest betting markets. Let’s investigate both how big it is, and how we got here in the first place.
Golf’s Popularity
The UK sports scene is dominated by football, with horse racing likely in second place. There’s a definite drop-off after that, but the next group of sports - including tennis, cricket, and rugby - definitely still attract millions of TV viewers, plus plenty of casual players.
Golf is right in the thick of that second group. Around 5% of Brits are believed to regularly play golf, which equates to around 3.5 million people. Annual broadcasts of the four majors, plus other events like the Ryder Cup, routinely attract many more viewers.
Betting statistics tend unsurprisingly to follow real-life trends. As such, it’ll come as no surprise to learn that golf is an extremely popular betting market. In fact, it’s actually estimated to be the third-biggest sport for betting in the UK.
Reasons for The Rise of Golf Betting
As we’ve established, golf is now a massive betting market in Britain. But how exactly has it grown so big?
There are two main reasons.
Firstly, the availability and coverage of a sport will obviously have an impact on a market’s popularity. There’s no fun in betting on something you know nothing about, and have no chance of watching or following.
Golf nowadays is not only a year-round sport, but one which enjoys excellent coverage. Sky Sports broadcasts not only the four majors, but tour events throughout the year. The journalism surrounding golf - from both traditional media and newer digital sources - has also never been bigger or better. Much of those articles, podcasts, social media posts, and so on will have a focus on golf betting, which further increases gamblers’ interest.
Secondly, the quantity and quality of betting sites has never been higher. The constant influx of new online bookmakers has forced older ones to raise their game. In turn, this has led to a better user experience in every respect. For golf bettors specifically, it has meant greater event coverage, more bet types, higher quality in-play betting tools, more golf-specific special offers, and so on.
In short, it’s never been easier to follow and watch golf, nor to bet on it.
Looking Ahead
There’s no chance that golf supplants either football or horse racing among British bettors. It would already be a tremendous achievement, however, if it could simply hold onto third-place in the rankings.
Right now, the biggest threat to that would be a wider decline in the public’s interest in golf. The recent battles between the PGA and LIV certainly weren’t a great look for the sport, but these seem to have been resolved now, and the public’s interest in golf has been retained. The 2023 Ryder Cup, which followed the aforementioned dispute, was the most-watched edition in Sky Sports’ history.
As such, it’s likely that the current trend will continue. Golf’s popularity will trend upwards as the coverage around it continues to improve, sports betting as a whole will get bigger and better, and the two factors will combine to ensure golf betting keeps growing.
