About gambling and metaverse, as a semi-hardcore user of Second Life in the past I can tell you that it would be indeed a really good idea. Some plinko machines lying here and there were very successful back then in that metaverse, and the concept of a tavern where you can see football matches, for example, with people that aren't living close to you, and also bet, seems great to me.
What an experience it would be. You know, showing up in an avatar where your privacy in real life is maintained but, your very much present in an event. Imagine the in stadium feeling when it comes to football, cool.It was back then, so you can imagine. In fact, concerts were successful and, although there were stadiums built in SL and I witnessed a few matches, those matches were between users, and for the shake of fun: although the ball didn't move as one could've expected, goals were scored
With the latest innovations in VR, sensors, and a broader target public nowadays (people is way more digital now than 15 years ago), I guess that we could soon see something like what you say, and not only for esports as one could imagine, but with traditional football too.