The popularity of the Premier League

Back in the 1980s few people would have predicted that football would not just remain one of the most popular leisure activities into the digital era, but would actually grow in popularity throughout this time.

Back then the game was bedevilled with problems, with violence between fans and disasters such as Heysel and Hillsborough, which meant that the game had a pretty low reputation and crowds at the matches appeared to be irrevocably in decline. So how has football recovered to the extent that it is now one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world?

Well the arrival of the English Premier League in 1992, thanks to a breakaway by the clubs that made up the old First Division of the Football League has led to an influx of money and top foreign players into the English game. This, coupled with the deal with Sky television to broadcast matches live on a regular basis has provided clubs with the financial muscle to build all-seater stadiums – meaning the match day experience is now a great deal safer than it was for those actually attending the games, while also ensuring that the league now has a global audience base.

This greater financial leverage is key, because the better stadiums and players have been central to enabling football to compete with modern day forms of entertainment such as the casino games offered by online casino sites like the LuckyNuggetCasino.com – indeed these sites have been quick to recognise the appeal of football and provide betting opportunities. During pre-season there isn’t always too much football going on and so, having realised that the online bookmakers’ may have left a little void here, the online casinos such as Lucky Nugget developed football themed slots games to cater for this.

With the slots games, that you can either play for free or for real money, the online casinos have helped to ensure that football has grown bigger than ever during the digital era, while other forms of entertainment – such as the film and music industry – are struggling to remain viable in the face of the wider and more sophisticated options available to people now.