First online sports bet (Intertops)
Intertops takes what is widely regarded as the first real-money online sports bet.
Confidence: medium. Some details here are debated between sources, or the exact date isn’t fully settled — so we flag it rather than state it as certain. Weigh it accordingly, and check the linked sources below before relying on specifics.
In January 1996 the bookmaker Intertops accepted what is widely regarded as the first real-money sports wager placed over the internet, reportedly a 50 dollar bet on a European football match. Intertops had operated as a telephone bookmaker since 1983 before moving betting online.
Intertops, a long-established bookmaker, launched an internet sportsbook and took a small wager from a customer in early 1996, an event routinely cited as the first online sports bet. Sources differ on the exact day, so the milestone is dated to January 1996 rather than a specific date. The wager showed that real-money sports betting could work over the web and helped open a vertical that would grow into one of the largest parts of the online gambling industry.
It demonstrated that real-money sports betting could move online, launching what became a huge global vertical.
A teaching summary, not legal advice. Dates and figures are simplified for learning; confirm against the primary sources before relying on them.