As one of the largest gaming markets in the world, we wanted to take some time to walk you through the current state and future projections for sports betting in the United States.
What’s The Facts
Support for real money betting on sports has increased from 63% to 79% among Americans in just 12 months. 1 in 5 men say they bet on sports; only 7% of women say they actively participate in sports betting. Football is by far the most popular sport bet on in the US, followed in order by basketball, horse racing, baseball, and soccer. Baseball is the most profitable sport for bettors within the industry. Parlays are the biggest winners for the sportsbooks.
Is Sports Betting Getting More Popular?
Here’s the bottom line up front. Sports betting in the US is on fire. Not only are more people betting, but you’ve got more support for the industry and more money flowing through the industry.
Let’s look at a few statistics and studies that support that statement.
According to the American Gaming Association (AGA) and a study conducted by the Mellman Group, 79% of Americans support the full legalization of sports betting in the United States (2019). Compare this with the same study from the previous year, and that figure was 63%. This shows that more Americans are getting in line to support the growth of the sports betting industry.
When you extrapolate this data, it shows that statistically, four out of every five Americans support the industry! And with an increase from 63% to 79% over the previous year, it’s clear that favor is growing.
What’s probably more interesting and speaks bigger volumes is that these statistics include support from people who most likely aren’t bettors themselves. According to a 2020 study by Morning Consult, only 13% of US residents participate in sports betting in the US.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board reports that in 2020, $154.68 million was wagered on the Super Bowl through land-based sportsbooks. This figured represents a 33.36% increase from just five years prior ($115.99 million in 2015).
While Nevada is only one state out of 50 in the US, it generally serves as a great barometer for the rest of the industry. And while real money online sportsbooks don’t make their data as readily available, trends have shown a similar pattern.
Who is Betting in the United States?
Hopefully, the first answer to this question is you! If you aren’t (and want to), we’ve got a great list of the best online sports betting sites at the top of the page. While “becoming a statistic” is usually a bad thing, it’s a good thing in this situation!
So, who exactly is betting in the United States? Besides the easy answer of a lot of people, we have some data on the demographics of people wagering in the US Here is the data from Morning Consult, a data intelligence company as well as some key takeaways.
Percentage of US Respondents Who Participate in Sports Betting in the US By Age
Age Yes I Bet No, I Don’t Bet
18 – 29 14% 86%
30 – 44 22% 78%
45 -54 11% 89%
55 -64 7% 93%
65+ 7% 93%
Percentage of US Respondents Who Participate in Sports Betting in the US By Gender
Gender Yes I Bet No, I Don’t Bet
Male 20% 80%
Female 7% 93%
Percentage of US Respondents Who Participate in Sports Betting in the US By Ethnicity
Percentage of US Respondents That Bet by Ethnicity Graph
Key Takeaways
The largest age block of US residents who say they bet on sports is 30-44 years of age.
More 18-29 year olds bet on sports than 45-54 year old’s.
1 in 5 men says they bet on sports in the US
Less than 10% of women in the US say they participate in sports betting.
Hispanic Americans have the highest percentage of participation in sports bet.
