Plácido Rodríguez

Brad R. Humphreys

Stefan Kesenne

Including an array of distinguished contributors, this novel book fills a gap in the literature by addressing an important yet under researched issue in the field of sports economics. It places great emphasis on the notion that sport is a significant component for improving the happiness, health and well being of citizens, communities and society as a whole. In so doing, it addresses whether, in an environment of increasing pressure on public spending, governments should continue to subsidise sporting activities at the expense of other public resources. Written is a clear and accessible style, this pioneering book explores a number of specific issues including: the relationship between sport and happiness the effect of sport on health, including the capacity of sport and exercise to reduce spending on medical expenses the relationship between sport and productivity whether sport as a leisure activity can improve quality of life. Innovative and original, this volume will strongly appeal to students and researchers of sport, health and welfare economics.

The Promotion of Well-being Through Sporting Activities

The Economics of Sport, Health and Happiness

This unique book examines how sports betting markets function. Charting recent international developments, expert contributors consider how both bookmakers and stakeholders view these changes, their prime areas of concern and the potential methods for addressing them.Providing a rigorous economic analysis throughout, this book examines the informational efficiency of betting markets and the prevalence of corruption and illegal betting in sports. Against this background, chapters explore pertinent questions such as: should gambling markets be privatized? Is the 'hot hand' hypothesis real or a myth? Are the 'many' smarter than the 'few' in estimating betting odds? How are prices set in fixed odds betting markets? Chapters also review important policy concerns such as the health implications posed by the potential link between the accelerating popularity of sports betting and the decline in sports participation.Academics and students studying economics, sports economics and, more specifically, sports betting will find this book an engaging companion. Contemporary and up to date, it will also appeal to stakeholders looking to widen their professional insight.

The Economics of Sports Betting

Robert Simmons

This unique book delves into a number of intriguing issues and addresses several pertinent questions including, should gambling markets be privatized? Is the ‘hot hand’ hypothesis real or a myth? Are the ‘many’ smarter than the ‘few’ in estimating betting odds? How are prices set in fixed odds betting markets? The book also explores the informational efficiency of betting markets and the prevalence of corruption and illegal betting in sports.

Stefan Késenne

Offering a cutting-edge analysis of competitive balance and outcome uncertainty, this book explores the topic from multiple perspectives. Chapters address competitive balance and outcome uncertainty in different sports in a range of countries to help understand its significance. Highlighting important new insights into previously unexplored dimensions, the book also provides a rich context for better understanding why fans, teams and leagues value competitive balance. It challenges readers to think about the topic in a broad and rigorous way, and in some cases to question widely held beliefs about how outcome uncertainty motivates competitive balance and how sports fans actually view competitive balance. Key case studies and the use of new data in the chapters makes this an interesting read for sports economics researchers and students looking for current analysis of the topic. Managers of sports organizations will also appreciate the insights that the book gives into what their customers value.

Brad R. Humphreys

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