Popularity of Cricket Betting in Bangladesh


Most if not all countries in the world do have a national sport. Often, the sport designated as the national sport will automatically be the most popular. Like other global nations, Bangladesh does have a national sport. The country’s national sport is Kabaddi, affectionately referred to as ‘Ha-Du-Du’. Uniquely though, while Kabaddi is the national sport, it’s not the country’s most popular sport. That privilege is reserved for cricket.

The Popularity of Cricket as a Sport in Bangladesh

Cricket is a sport which is played by just a few countries on the global stage. This is best demonstrated by the limited number of countries that appear on global cricket rankings index. While this is the case, the few countries that are heavily involved in cricket are the most populous in the world. These include Bangladesh and beyond India, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Owing to the huge numbers of people in these countries who are, in turn, attracted to the sport, cricket inadvertently becomes a massively followed sport.

While reaching a definite figure of the exact number of cricket lovers in Bangladesh is a daunting and impossible task, what’s crystal clear when considering the sheer high numbers of cricket spectators who frequent the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches is pure testimony to the popularity of the sport. Moreover, the huge number of TV viewers and live streamers who follow both domestic and international matches across various platforms demonstrates the massive following that cricket has in Bangladesh.

The Love for Cricket Transcending into the Love for Cricket Betting

In recent times, most cricket lovers in Bangladesh tend to express their love for cricket by engaging in cricket betting. Their love for the sport has transcended from just paying to watch cricket matches or watching live games but has expanded to embracing cricket betting.

Just to put into perspective the massive growth of the Bangladesh cricket betting industry, a match between India and Bangladesh just before the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic racked up $17 million in total bets wagered. The most astonishing thing here isn’t the $17 million. Rather, it’s the fact that this huge amount was wagered on a friendly practice match!

Now imagine such a huge amount being placed as ‘wagers’ for a friendly practice match – what more when it’s an International Cricket Council (ICC) sanctioned match. Moreover, the match in discussion took place before the pandemic and since then, the cricket betting industry has significantly grown.

Cricket betting in Bangladesh can be juxtaposed with that of India. A report by India Change Forum in 2023 projected that the gambling market in India fronted by cricket betting will grow at an annual rate of 8.59% from 2023 to 2027. Considering that the trends between India and Bangladesh are almost similar, more of the same growth rate is thus projected for Bangladesh’s gambling market.

The Factors behind the Growth of Cricket Betting in Bangladesh

Improved Fortunnes of the National Team

Since the turn of the new millennium, the Bangladesh national team has solidly cemented itself as one of the top cricketing teams in the world. Thanks to its exploits in the past 20 or so years, it has comfortably featured amongst the top 10 cricket teams in the world. Driven by the success of the national team, many locals have developed a strong affection for the sport something which they now express through cricket betting.

Success of the Bangladesh Premier League

In 2012, the first edition of the Bangladesh Premier League was hosted. Formed as the successor to the National Cricket League Twenty20 by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the BPL as it’s affectionately known has been a huge success. The BPL has managed to rack in millions of dollars in sponsorship, in turn, attracting the top cricket stars. This has elevated the league making it one of the most followed spectacles on the global cricket calendar not just by Bangladeshi locals but worldwide.

Positive Media Coverage

The success of the Bangladesh national team, as well as, the Bangladesh Premier League has armed both local and international media outlets with nothing but just good and positive news about Bangladesh cricket. Moreover, this success has also forced media outlets to pour a lot of resources into covering cricket matches in the country in an attempt to keep fans engaged, informed and entertained. Armed with expert insights into all aspects of Bangladesh cricket, many have transcended from just being fans to being punters.

Emergence of Multiple Betting Sites and Apps

In the past few years, Bangladesh has welcomed several betting sites and apps. While most of these are offshore sites, there are also some local ones whose core mission is to just serve the locals. Recognizing and acknowledging the fact that cricket is the most popular sport in the country, many if not all of these sites and apps do offer cricket betting. Cricket punters are, therefore, spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing the betting sites or apps to play at.

Even more impressive is the fact that most of these sites do offer some bonuses and promotional perks. As such, even with little to no money, anyone is almost guaranteed to place their cricket bets with ease. The betting sites that offer no deposit bonuses enable punters without any money to place bets. To appeal to the locals, most of the betting sites also integrate local banking methods hence enabling the locals to use the payment methods they prefer the most.

Round Up

Without mincing any words, the truth is that cricket betting is hugely popular in Bangladesh. It’s the most popular form of sports betting over anything else. Among other factors, the popularity of cricket betting has been necessitated by a flurry of betting sites which allow punters to use convenient payment methods to place their bets in the comfort of their own homes.