Online Betting History: 30 Years Since the First Internet Bet
Kate Marshal
21 January 2026
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January 17, 2026 marked exactly 30 years since the first bet was accepted online, a milestone widely regarded as the starting point of the online betting industry. The date traces back to January 17, 1996, when bookmaker InterTops took its first wager via the internet.

The historic bet was placed by Finnish customer Jukka Honkavaara, who staked $50 on Tottenham Hotspur to beat Hereford United in an FA Cup match. Tottenham won 5–1, making the wager a winner. However, due to extremely short odds of 1.04, the bettor’s net profit amounted to just $2.
At the time, InterTops had already been operating in the betting market for more than a decade. Founded in 1983, the company initially accepted bets by telephone and through postal services.
The launch of online betting marked a technological breakthrough and set the direction for the industry’s future development.
In the years that followed, InterTops expanded its product offering, launching an online casino in 1998 and a poker platform in 2003. Following a rebrand in 2021, the company continued operations under the name EveryGame.
Three decades on, online betting has grown into a global industry with millions of users worldwide, while the events of January 1996 are widely recognised as its historical starting point.
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