Essex is one of the bigger and more populous counties in the UK, which has helped it have a significant cultural impact on the wider country. In many ways though, of course, Essex residents don’t differ from other Brits, including in the hobbies they pursue.
Betting is just one major example. According to the UK’s Gambling Commission, some 44% of adults enjoy betting each month. There’s no reason this shouldn’t apply to Essex too, meaning that – from a population of some 1.5 million across the county – some 660,000 Essex residents wager regularly.
Let’s take a closer look at how online betting works specifically in Essex. If you’ve considered dabbling yourself, this should give you the perfect launching point.
The Online Betting Landscape
The days of heading down to your high street bookie are generally over. If you really want to, you still have this option, with brands like Betfred, Ladbrokes, and William Hill all still keeping betting shops open in Chelmsford, for example.
Most people vastly prefer the convenience of using an online sportsbook instead. All the aforementioned brands offer digital betting, plus many, many dozens of other companies.
The main advantage here is obviously convenience. With an online sportsbook, you can save yourself that trip into Chelmsford and place wagers from the comfort of your own home. Download a mobile betting app and you take that convenience to another level, now having the ability to literally bet wherever you want, wherever you please.
These technological developments have meant that betting isn’t just one of the most popular ways to have fun in Essex. It’s one of the quickest and easiest too.
Picking a Good Platform
Some potential bettors will welcome having so many online sportsbooks available to them in Essex. Others might find those many options overwhelming. Either way, we’ve got a couple of tips to help you narrow down your choices, and find the right bookie for your betting.
Firstly, we’d certainly recommend doing some research. That means searching online, finding websites where the experts actually know what they’re talking about, and seeing which brands they recommend.
Fortunately, there are plenty of platforms which fit the bill here. Many of them get pretty specific too. You might find an article listing the best bookies specifically for football betting, for example, or the best betting sites that accept PayPal. Whatever your specific needs, there should be a guide out there.
This is the best way to narrow down those many options. After that, you need to pick a brand. We’d recommend basing this on a few factors. Look beyond the headline welcome offer, and gauge the brand’s usability – how comfortable does it feel for you to use, when you browse its website or app? Check out the betting markets too, and ensure those you’re actually interested in are represented. Last but not least, test the customer support, so that – if and when you do have a real question – you know it’ll be answered promptly and helpfully.
Betting on Essex’s Teams
Once you’ve opened your betting account, the sports world is your oyster. You can bet on essentially any high-level sport, anywhere in the world.
If you’d like specifically to wager on action involving Essex-based teams, you’re perfectly able to do so. If you’re a cricket fan, for example, you’ll find every Essex match covered. You’ll even be able to bet in-play, which can be particularly useful when you’re watching the action live, either at the County Ground in Chelmsford or on TV.
Basically any other professional teams in or around Essex will enjoy similar coverage. That means the ability to wager on every football match involving Colchester United or Chelmsford City, right through – on the biggest bookies – to ice hockey matchups with the Chelmsford Chieftains. Play your cards right, while practising responsible gambling of course, and you might even make some money in the process.
