For both traders and bettors, unreliable weather can and will affect how markets are priced, how sporting events are run and even how people choose to bet.

So what are some of the likely ways that climate change could impact sports betting and what can operators and their customers do to mitigate these issues?

Arguably the clearest way that climate change affects sport is by introducing another uncertainty variable. Event cancellations and postponements are likely to increase, disrupting betting calendars, odds-setting processes and risk management.

Player performance can be affected in unpredictable ways, and even changes in the playing surface (think hard or soft ground in horse racing) can have an impact on the outcome, posing challenges on both sides of the playing market. bets.

Then there are issues like strong winds; Let's take golf as an example. Strong winds during a golf tournament open up the course, making the outcome much less predictable, a problem for both bookmakers and bettors. Or heavy rain during an outdoor event, which can result in a more slippery surface for sports like football, or a heavier surface for sports like rugby.

The ways in which weather can affect sport are multiple and by extension this means a significant impact on betting markets and the sports betting industry as a whole. People are likely to be more at home, or indoors, and perhaps more focused on sports and finding ways to entertain themselves.

But, conversely, customers at betting sites, casinos and bingo sites are less likely to gamble when temperatures rise. People tend to spend more time outdoors, meeting friends or, alternatively, seeking refuge from the heat in the most extreme conditions; They don't really feel like betting on sports. This is how climate change affects players (and their decisions)

Climate change is happening and will continue to cause problems for the sports betting industry for years to come. The future almost certainly looks different from the past, due to rising temperatures, more extreme weather patterns, and greater unpredictability in climate. With much of sports betting dependent on reliable, programmable and often outdoor events, it appears that the risk of cancellation and disruption will remain for some time.

While this poses challenges for sports betting operators, they are not insurmountable. With early adaptations and greater reliance on technology and data, these are issues that can be overcome and ultimately taken into account as another variable when setting quotas and pricing in markets.