Tote Sports

Snooker betting, like other betting sports, is a popular pastime for many the world over. It also has an interesting history that should you want to know more about snooker betting, is good to know. Do you know where the name snooker was derived from? Records show that snooker came into existence during the 19^th Century by a British Armed Force who used the term ‘snooker’ to describe losing a player. Somehow, quite bizarrely, the word stubbornly stuck as a way of labeling this type of billiard game right through into the 21^st Century. Despite the name having a somewhat long history, the game itself was only introduced on a professional level much later.

It was only until 1916 that the first known professional snooker game was played referred to as the Amateur English Championships. Not long thereafter, the renowned World Snooker Championships started to take shape putting the game of snooker on the map for the first time. The World Snooker Championships came into existence in 1927 and in three short years become the most widely sought after billiards game across many countries. This boom in popularity was not to last however, as a significant decline was recorded during the 1950’s and 1960’s. In the early 1970’s however, the BBC started to air snooker games for the first time and this quickly sparked interest in the billiards game once more. A particularly memorable time was the first televised recording of the Snooker World Championships in 1973 – this helped to shoot up its fan-base and potential for players considerably.

A few years later, around 1976 and 1977, world rankings started appearing amongst the players boosting its credibility as a professional sport once more. Once this set the scene and put snooker more solidly back on the map, many youngsters started trying their hand at snooker many using all their time and energy to make a living out of the sport, which further helped to shape the sport as we know it today. Snooker took another nosedive when most of its major sponsors – being tobacco brands mostly– had to withdraw due to smoking adverts being banned. Yet, due to the strong foothold in China even now and so many amazingly talented up and coming players  – the game is regaining some of its lost ground once again.

Due to the number of games being played, it has become a very popular betting game today. With numerous online snooker betting facilities available including online casinos, bookies and sponsorship sites such as www.sportsbet.co.za, you can have access to snooker betting easily and conveniently and because of this increased accessibility it is always important to research and educate yourself thoroughly before putting any money down.