YouGov report: 46% of US citizens support online and retail sports betting expansion
Global data collection agency data reveals high level ‘uncertainty’ surrounding regulations among bettors
More than 46% of Americans in states where sports betting is already legalized would support the notion that all US citizens should be able to bet, according to latest data from YouGov.
In its annual report, Global Gambling 2022: The consumer view in the gambling debate, survey data puts the US appetite for sports betting expansion just behind Canada, which polled a 48% positive response and level with the UK, with only Hong Kong at 50% polling more.
Of those surveyed, 51% of US men supported the expansion, compared to 41% of US women.
Source: YouGov- Global Gambling 2022: The consumer view in the gambling debate
Moving to online gambling and whether it should be allowed, a combined 33% of US survey participants said the vertical should not be allowed in the US, compared to 42% saying they disagreed with the statement and 26% who were unsure.
By comparison, in YouGov data compiled in Canada on the same question, 41% of those surveyed tended to agree or strongly agree that online gambling should not be allowed, compared to 43% who were in favor of permitting the vertical.
Source: YouGov-Global Gambling 2022: The consumer view in the gambling debate
To the question of whether a sport becomes more appealing to watch if a bet is placed, 51% of gamblers agreed with this, up from 44% in 2021.
Similarly, to the proposition that when they bet on a sport it makes them more likely to watch the game, again 50% of participants agreed with the assertion, a figure up from 44% last year.
When asked to voice their opinion on the proposition ‘gambling laws where I live fairly balance the opportunity to gamble with preventing excessive gambling’ only 18% of all Americans agreed, 30% disagreed and a majority of 51% said they didn’t know.
On a statement suggesting online gambling rules and regulations were too strict where they live, 54% of US survey respondents said they were unsure, a figure way ahead of all the other surveyed countries.
Source: YouGov- Global Gambling 2022: The consumer view in the gambling debate
As a potential warning to US operators, 45% of US survey participants said they strongly agreed or tended to agree that advertising and sponsorships by gambling operators was “concerningly high”, with a high 52% of male respondents agreeing with this assertion.
In comparison, only 21% of those surveyed either tended to disagree or strongly disagree on the issue of advertising and sponsorship for sports betting, with a sizeable percentage of don’t knows at 35%.
“There have been rumblings of discontent from the regulators, particularly in New Jersey, about the sheer quantity of gambling-related advertising seen in the state,” YouGov wrote in the report.
“In the rush to market, where grabbing early share is seen as a priority, operators should be aware that they need to take the public with them on this journey lest they suffer the backlash seen elsewhere.
“The lesson from this data is that while it is too early to be ringing the alarm bells, those in charge would do well to be aware that public opinion can quickly turn and once an adverse viewpoint has taken hold, it can be hard to shift, particularly if linked to gambling-related harm,” the data agency added.