10 Epic Sporting Events to Experience in Your Life

Here at Bally Casino, we're Big on Entertainment. Rewind over 90 years, and you'll find the Bally's name started with a mission to deliver epic entertainment to folks everywhere, and that mission is as true today as it was when we were first founded.

So, you can bet we know awesome entertainment when we see it. And we've gotta say, watching sports is up there with spinning the roulette wheel or playing for the hottest progressive jackpots.

From sitting in a roaring stadium to watching the action on the TV, sporting events are packed with thrills. It's no wonder so many consider attending a sporting event as a big lifetime event worth experiencing! 

Don't sweat it if you're not sure which sports offer the most entertainment for your buck, though. We've got you covered with our list of the world's top ten biggest sporting events sure to excite.

Go on, check it out.

Football World Cup

Folks, there is nothing quite like the World Cup in soccer (or football as y'all call it on this side of the pond). The most-watched sporting event on the planet, the World Cup happens every four years, making it a hotly anticipated game with fans keen to see who will be crowned champ. Featuring plenty of near-misses and epic winning moments, delivered by teams from all around the world, the World Cup draws huge crowds keen to be there when history happens.

Take the 2022 final: The showdown match between Argentina and France came down to the final moments, eventually being settled by penalties. An audience of almost 90,000 fans packed into the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, with more than 1.5 billion people dialling into the action overall. 

And, as if these weren't reasons enough to book your tickets to the next cup, in 2026, it will expand from 32 to 48 teams. That means there'll be more even chances to get a live game experience, and undoubtedly extra drama. Wondering where the next World Cup will be? Get ready for a trip Stateside, bud, because it's mostly being hosted in our home country of the USA - the first time it's been there since 1994 - with a little help from our buddies in Canada and Mexico!

Olympic Games

Another international event heading back to the States is the Olympic Games. The famous torch will land in Los Angeles in 2028 - 32 years after Atlanta played host to the USA Olympic Games.

Athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in the most recent games in Paris this year. Billions of fans watched the action unfold, and with 32 sports played live, there were plenty of ticket opportunities. Whether it's seeing the best track and field stars, the greatest cyclists or anything else, there's no doubt that the Olympics deliver epic entertainment worth checking out.

Up to 100,000 people could be there to watch the opening ceremony in four years at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The stadium is home of the LA Rams and LA Chargers in the National Football League (NFL), but when the Olympics comes to town, it will be the venue to hold all the swimming events. So-Fi Stadium also hosted the Super Bowl in 2022, so it's used to big-time sporting events.

Super Bowl

Staying true to our American heritage, you can bet we've included the Super Bowl in this list. After all, the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of the American Football season! And, despite being an American game, it now has a global audience.

A record 123.4 million fans in the States tuned in to see the Kansas City Chiefs defend the Vince Lombardi trophy against the San Francisco 49ers this year. A further 62.5 million watched internationally.

But it's not just star football players on display. The half-time show is almost as iconic as the actual game, so you'll be treated to a performance from a famous musician or two. Amazingly, the NFL doesn't even pay them for their appearance - the exposure alone from performing can supersize their album sales and revenue. That's how big the crowds are!

If you don't want to watch from the comfort of your home, it'll cost a few bucks. Though, considering y'all could attend one of the USA's biggest sporting events and a big-name music gig on the same day, it's to be expected. The cheapest tickets this year were around $2,000, while some resale tickets were priced at upwards of $20,000. 

So, make sure you're in the queue for the general sale, bud.

Ryder Cup

Every two years, the best golfers from Europe and the USA go head-to-head for the Ryder Cup. It's played over three days, and the atmosphere is always electric.

Previously it was contested by just the UK and the USA, but given the size of the two countries it was never a level playing field. It was expanded to include European golfers in 1979, and the battle has intensified ever since, with more top-quality players able to make the EU team.

Arguably one of the most incredible comebacks in sporting history happened in the Ryder Cup, so there is plenty of history to witness. Europe overturned a 10-6 deficit heading into the final day in 2012 - on American soil too - to retain the trophy with a final score of 14.5-13.5.

The next stop is in New York in 2025, so head down the fairway and witness this epic rivalry.

Ashes Cricket

The Ashes is played between England and Australia every two years, and the sporting battle between the nations goes as far back as 1882.

Each series features five tests, and the winner is presented with a tiny urn. The tradition started after Australia's first win against the old enemy, when it was claimed that English cricket was dead.

Grab a seat at an Ashes test and you'll find the fire is still lit. Every game is completely sold out in England, plus there is the chance to explore historical cricket grounds like Lord's or Old Trafford.

Don't fancy making the trip across the world? You'll have to wait until 2027 for the next time the Aussies tour England.

Wimbledon Championships

Wimbledon is one of the most prestigious events in tennis, held just outside London between June and July every year. It's the only Grand Slam in the sport to be played on grass.

There was £50 million in prize money up for grabs in 2024, with the winners of the men's and women's tournaments taking home £2.7 million each - not bad for a couple of weeks' work.

Visiting The Championships means you can see the best players in the world serving up awesome action. There is a celebrity aspect too, of course. The Royal Box on Centre Court is regularly filled with some of the biggest names in the world, who are all introduced to the crowd before play starts. If you like celebrity spotting, this is the place for you.

British & Irish Lions Tour

Every four years the British & Irish Lions head into the Southern Hemisphere for an epic rugby union tour, which started back in 1888.

The tourists take turns playing the giants of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, so fans in those countries have to wait 12 years to witness history. Each series has three test matches, but if you can't get a ticket then the Lions also take on some local teams.

Playing for the Lions is the ultimate goal for rugby players, even more than representing their own countries. The next tour takes place in Australia in 2025, where the visiting team will try to back up their 2-1 series victory from 2013.

Rugby union fans, this is surely one for the bucket list.

Tour de France

While cycling might not be the most popular sport in the world, the Tour de France scores as one of the most famous events. Over 3.5 billion viewers saw part of the 2023 event - even more than the Olympics.

The race lasts for three weeks and is held every July. Riders cover over 2,200 miles on the journey for the yellow jacket, sometimes even taking in parts of other countries like Spain and Belgium.

Sometimes the Tour de France has featured as many as 25 stages, and it's one of the most amazing endurance tests of any athlete. For fans, you'll get to take in awesome views of French mountain ranges and hillsides as the race progresses towards the finish line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Grand National

The Grand National is the most popular horse race in the world, and around 800 million people from 140 countries are believed to tune in each year. According to the figures, 80,000 fans travelled to Aintree this year to see the equine gladiator 'I Am Maximus' finish in front.

A horse called Lottery won the first running of the race in 1839. Ironically, that's the perfect way to describe how it was back in the day – the course provided one of the toughest tests in sports. It is much safer now, as the organisers have reduced the size of the fences meaning there's less risk of fallers and injury, plus the number of runners has dropped from 40 to 34.

While there have been changes, it is still the ultimate test for jockeys. There are 30 fences to jump across over four miles and two-and-a-half furlongs, making it the longest horse race in the UK.

Red Rum famously landed the prize three times in the 1970s, the most of any horse. He also finished second twice, and even though Tiger Roll claimed back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, his achievement will almost certainly stand forever.

Grand Prix

Folks, if you thought Formula 1 Grand Prix races were just about the cars, think again! See, much like the Super Bowl, there's a lot more than just sports to experience at these events.

A Grand Prix is staged over three days, starting with practice. This is followed by qualifying, and then the actual race. But the action doesn't stop when the cars hit the pits, as most of them host trackside concerts in the evening to keep the engines revving. Take Silverstone this year, where fans got to watch global stars Kings of Leon after the cars returned to the pits.

With 24 races staged across the globe, attending a Grand Prix can take you to some of the most amazing places on the planet. People who like to play online casino can explore the historical venues of Monte Carlo for the Monaco race, and there are incredible tracks in Italy and Singapore too.

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