AGA: 46.6 million Americans to bet on upcoming NFL season
New data shows 3% year-on-year rise in betting participation as responsible gambling tool awareness levels reach 92%
More than 46.6 million Americans are planning to bet on the upcoming NFL season, according to latest data from the American Gaming Association (AGA).
The figures, released by the trade body ahead of the new season, are a 3% year-on-year (YoY) increase on the same period of 2021.
In a nod to the forthcoming Responsible Gambling Education Month (RGEM), AGA survey data suggests that nine in ten (92%) of American bettors are aware of responsible gambling tools.
Drilling down into the details, 23% of survey participants said they would bet online this season, up 18%, while six million will place a bet at an in-person sportsbook, a figure up 2% from 2021.
Just 13% of NFL bettors say they will use a bookie, down two points from last year (15%) and five points from 2020 (18%). Bookie usage is 50% higher in states without legalized sports betting.
At present, more than half (132 million) of American adults can place a wager in their home state, up 18 million from the same period in 2021.
Morning Consult, on behalf of the AGA, conducted an online survey between August 25-27, 2022 among a national sample of 2,210 American adults.
AGA president and CEO Bill Miller welcomed the record NFL bettor numbers.
“The sustained interest in NFL wagering reflects the growth and continued maturation of legal sports betting across the country,” Miller said.
“Consumers clearly want legal sports betting options and understand the regulated industry’s foundational commitments to responsibility,” he added.
Demonstrating consumer confidence in regulated sportsbooks, nine in ten (89%) of past-year sports bettors say it is ‘very or somewhat’ important that they bet with a legal, regulated sportsbook.
Of the consumers surveyed about responsible gambling in the US, 90% said they recalled seeing or hearing about responsible gambling in the last year.
More than half (51%) of participants indicated they had seen or heard [more?] responsible gaming information in the past 12 months than they had in previous years.
Of those surveyed, the majority of past-year sports bettors believe responsible gaming programs are very or somewhat effective (82%) and that the gaming industry is committed to encouraging responsible gaming and combatting problem gambling (81%).
“Responsibility is an underpinning of regulated US sports betting and a clear competitive advantage as we continue to build a sustainable marketplace,” Miller said.
Among NFL bettors, the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9%) are the most popular picks to win Super Bowl LVII, followed by the Los Angeles Rams, the Kansas City Chiefs (8%) and the Dallas Cowboys (7%).
The Super Bowl will be played in a legal sports betting jurisdiction (Arizona) for the first time in February 2023. Americans have legally wagered more than $50.4bn on sports in the first seven months of 2022, generating more than $809m in federal, state and local taxes.