25th English Premier League could be the biggest online betting fest yet

This year the English Premier League celebrates its 25th season, and football fans across the globe are keenly anticipating the kick-off this weekend.

Online and retail bookmaking companies will also be gearing up for what payment processor Worldpay is predicting will be a record season in terms of online betting. The company says that this weekend will be the biggest opening weekend yet for online bets.

“Compared to the previous weekend, which marked the start of the rest of the English Football League, the 2016/17 Premiership opening weekend saw a 12 percent increase in the volume of bets placed,” the company notes.

“The average spend per deposit also increased by 5 percent, indicating that the high-profile Premiership matches attract more big-ticket betting than the lower leagues.

“As the 2017/18 Premier League season kicks off this weekend, Britain’s online bookies will be reminded of how lucrative the league can be, with more bets expected to be placed than ever before.”

An analysis of Worldpay’s data has revealed a significant rise in the popularity of online betting over the past two seasons, with the number of transactions rising by 15 percent in 2015/2016 relative to the previous season, and by an additional 19 percent in 2016/2017.

Worldpay vice president James McGurn says that technology has transformed the way football fans experience the sport. The emergence of online and mobile gambling is making it more convenient than ever for punters to have a flutter, from the comfort of their own sofas or in the stadium itself.

“Our data shows just how valuable the Premiership is for Britain’s online bookies and reflects the continued popularity of the league up and down the country, he said this week.

“Online betting has increased by a whopping 37 percent over the past two years alone, so whether taking a punt on the next goal scorer, or predicting who will clinch the Premier League crown, we are expecting a record number of online bets this coming weekend.”

Worldpay processed a total of 14.9 billion transactions at a value of GBP 451.1 billion in 2016.