Origins Of Online Sports Bets – From Intertops To Everygame

If you are a dedicated sports bettor, then you probably wonder what was the very first online sportsbook. You would be surprised to learn that the first online sportsbook sites in the US started as an illegal booking service in Germany. We are going to discover how a remote and illegal bookmaker grew itself out to be a worldwide brand. Because the development of Intertops has influenced today’s greatest sportsbooks such as Disney’s biggest partners. Without further ado, let’s review the origins of online sports bets.

Origins Of Online Sports Bets

The first online sports betting was funded as an illegal booking service in Germany. Because back then sports betting was legal all over the country. However, the government had a monopoly on the whole gambling industry. This was back in 1980 when they were not an online service, but a phone-in bookmaking service. With the function being able to dial in to make a sports bet, they were able to operate illegally, by paying no taxes. Therefore, their prices were more affordable and charming for customers than legal bookmakers. The owner had to move over to the United Kingdom due to legal issues in the country. This is how they created the first form of Intertops. It was a toll-free dial-in bookmaking service that targeted the whole world, specializing in soccer bets. This started the origins of online sports bets.

How It Started – Origins Of Online Sports Bets

In 1989, a university student called Simon Noble joined the company. He was talented in marketing and technology, therefore he was a true gem for Intertops. By this time, Suchknecht was already renamed Intertops, and they were still operating as an ambitious dial-in sportsbook.

This is when Simon Noble received the job, and by 1994, he was promoted to be one of the management persons at the company. Becoming the head of the internet expansion team, the goal was to make betting on the internet possible. This was at the same time when we started to digitize slot machines during the History and Evolution of Slot Machines.

The First And Oldest Online Sportsbook

And this is how the origins of online sports bets began. With the creative genius of Simon Noble, Intertops was finally able to create a functioning website called Intertops.com. This is where the very first sports betting was recorded. A Finland punter called Jukka Honkavaara was the first person to make online sports betting. He staked $50 on the Tottenham Hotspur vs Hereford United soccer match. His bet was correct, and he profited a total of $2 on the bet. Even if this is a small amount of money. It is significant because it marks the beginning of online sports betting. By the time we reached the 2000s. Intertops made another innovation and invented mobile sports betting. Therefore, Intertops has invented both online sports betting and online mobile sports betting.

Intertops – Origins Of Online Sports Bets

According to the Affiliate Insider, this was not the only thing they have created. Because of the development of online sports betting, they had to come up with marketing strategies. And to the luck of Intertops, it was Simon Noble’s specialty to understand marketing.

This is when they recruited their first affiliate in 1995. They were offering the affiliate program to anyone who was interested and understood how to handle search engine optimization. It was one of the most important parts of the origins of online sports bets. Because the company had to make the search engines advertise and present the website for the service to be successful. Soon after, thanks to Simon Noble’s genius marketing strategies, Intertops became a leading sports betting company. This is why they relocated their office to Austria for the benefit of their business.

Everygame Sportsbook

According to SBC News, Intertops has baffled its affiliates when it announced that they are going to rename its website. It was a strange move because, by 2010, Intertops was one of the most dominant and popular sports betting services in the world. And the name was a world-first sports betting service marking the origins of online sports bets. According to Gambling News, the reason behind renaming one of the biggest betting brands was due to legal issues. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the company has decided to cut ties with Germany, no longer providing its service in the country. This is due to the gambling laws in Germany, while they no longer seek to provide for the German market. The reason was citing the Fourth Interstate Gambling Treaty according to Everygame. The affiliate program and everything are the same. Therefore the rebranding was nothing else but a name change.

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How To Play At The Oldest Sportsbook Site

Reaching the end of the origins of online sports bets. It is important to mention that despite the rebranding, you can still play at Intertops. Their new name is Everygame Sportsbook. Operating services that involve card games, sports betting, and online casinos. They still seek to innovate their market with the most recent technology. No wonder why they are successful. Because the majority of online gambling websites are just introducing bitcoin to the market. They were already accepting bitcoin legally without charging a dime for it by the time we reached the 2000s. They already have eSports betting, which we wrote about in our Mobile eSports betting guide. Therefore, while you are browsing their services, you should check out our article called Sports Betting Mistakes to top your betting game.