Estimates from the American Gaming Association (AGA) claimed that over 20.5 million Americans were to bet over $1.8 billion on the 2023 FIFA World Cup matches in Qatar.
The bets ended up breaking all records and only came second to the bets placed during the Super Bowl. Much like America, many people from all around the world also placed bets in the millions on these matches. However, the Arab region was somewhat left behind in this regard.
Sports betting in the Middle East and among Arabic speakers grew globally during the World Cup. Unfortunately, not all Arab countries were able to participate in all of this. Restrictions on gambling and betting, and even online casino games, forced them to step away from the opportunity to bet during the World Cup matches.
Despite all the restrictions, many Arab football fans were still able to bet in Arabic online using offshore bookmakers. Everything they did was legal. From the betting establishments to the wagers, all was legal, and a lot of the transactions were also in local currencies.
How did they manage this? How can Arab football fans bet online at offshore bookmakers? The answer is simple. You simply need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
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What is a VPN?
When you’re blocked from accessing a website or using a web service, your ISP or government is merely blocking the access of that service or website in your region only. That means if you’re out of your geolocation and the network or internet within it, you can access the blocked sites or services. Another way to do so is if you can establish a private network with that blocked site.
This is where a VPN can help you.
A VPN provides you anonymity and security when using a public network. It creates a private network within the public network that allows you to browse the internet without exposing your IP address to anyone who might be monitoring you.
How Does a VPN Work?
According to Grand View Research, the global VPN market is valued at over $25 billion. The VPN market is continuously growing. As people become more concerned about their data security, they’re opting for VPN services to protect their data and privacy.
That being said, why should people, especially Arab players, use a VPN, like when using an offshore betting site?
A VPN hides your IP address. That allows you to browse the internet without being tracked. Not even your ISP can keep track of your browsing history if you’re using a VPN. That means geoblocking won’t work on you, and you can browse the internet with little to no restriction.
After you turn on the VPN, you can choose a virtual location where the site you want to access isn’t blocked. Once you choose the location, you can then access the blocked website easily.
The VPN service will reroute you to the designated website through a third party, which in this case is a proxy server located in the country you choose. That way, it’ll be as if you were visiting the site from that virtual location and not your geographical or physical one.
Benefits of Using a VPN
Did you know that in the last three years, among the top ten countries that adopted VPN services, five were Arab nations? This is something Atlas VPN’s Global VPN Adoption Index data suggests. It’s an interesting insight regarding the use of VPNs in Arab countries.
Whether or not all of the people using VPNs in Arab regions were doing so for online sports betting is something we can never find out because that’s just how VPNs work. However, we can all assume that the users did reap the many benefits a VPN can provide.
Some of these benefits are as follows.
- VPN provides browsing security. You don’t have to worry about leaving a trace on any website or website through which anyone can trace back to you. It’s a way to browse the internet without being tracked. It’s especially helpful when you’re accessing controversial websites.
- VPN provides data privacy, too. Whenever you’re browsing the internet, you’re sharing your data or digital footprint with the public network. Since a VPN allows you to create a private network of your own, your browser won’t leave any digital footprint on the websites you visit or the web services you use. It’s a helpful feature for those who don’t want their personal data to be used for advertisement purposes.
- With VPN, you can set your geolocation to anywhere in the world. That will allow you to overcome browsing restrictions on many websites. This is the VPN feature that can help Arab football fans like you bet online with offshore bookmakers, and we’ll discuss it in detail in the following section.
How a VPN Can Help Arab Football Fans with Online Betting with Offshore Bookmakers
Websites like Arabicbet allow Arab football fans to use popular betting sites like Bet365 for betting on various international matches. While Arabicbet operates legally, it may be restricted in some Arab countries. Thus comes the need to use a VPN to overcome these restrictions and bet with offshore bookmakers.
The website may be blocked in certain countries, but it will surely not be blocked everywhere in the world. When you switch the VPN on, you simply need to select a proxy location where the website isn’t blocked. That way, you can access the website legally as your IP address is rerouted to the site through a proxy server.
Using a VPN won’t hamper any of the site’s features. You can access all the betting features and manage your transactions accordingly.
Online betting isn’t that easy when you’re an Arab football fan. However, with the power of a VPN, things need not be that difficult and inaccessible to you. With the push of a button, you can start placing bets with offshore bookmakers on football matches in no time.
