Despite reduced enthusiasm from fans about the upcoming National Football League season, at least 13% of American adults plan to wager on games this year, according to a survey released Wednesday by the American Gaming Association.
An estimated 33.2 million adults will bet on NFL games this year, according to the survey, with at least 20% wagering at legal sportsbooks, a figure that is up from 18% last year.
There are currently 18 states with legal sports betting, including 11 states that are home to NFL teams. At least four additional states – all home to NFL teams – could launch legal sports betting this year. The relocated Las Vegas Raiders will kick-off their inaugural season in Nevada at the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium near the Las Vegas Strip.
In the past 12 months, seven states began legal sports betting operations. The AGA said 29 million more American adults have access to legal sports betting in their home state, a 54% increase.
AGA CEO Bill Miller said the study showed that fans who plan to wager on NFL games are more enthusiastic than NFL fans overall.
The study, conducted by national pollster Morning Consult, found that 42% of American adults are less excited about this season than last year. Increased political activism around the league was the largest reason cited – 36%. However, factors associated with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – the absence of fans in stadiums and inability to gather with friends to watch games – contributed to the reduced enthusiasm.
The NFL season kicks off Thursday with a nationally televised game between the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans. A full slate of games are scheduled for the weekend. The pandemic caused the NFL to cancel all preseason games in August.
Some teams have said fans will not be allowed in stadiums during the season, including the Las Vegas Raiders. Other teams have said fans won’t be allowed for the first two games and then the policy will be reevaluated. Other teams said they will allow a minimal number of fans to attend as long as they are seated socially distanced apart, such as 6,000 fans in a 60,000-seat stadium.
The AGA previously found the NFL stands to gain $2.3 billion annually from legal sports betting, largely due to increased fan engagement. Since sports wagering was allowed to be legalized across the U.S. in May 2018, the NFL and its teams have formed 26 marketing and data-sharing partnerships with the gaming industry.
“The NFL traditionally drives a significant amount of action from sports bettors, and this year appears to be no different,” Miller said in a statement. “While we’ve known for a long time that bettors are more engaged fans — particularly when it comes to football — continuing to drive them to the legal market is essential for protecting consumers and the integrity of the games they wager on.”
Despite increased legal sports wagering opportunities, a large amount of NFL fans will still wager with illegal bookmakers or illegal offshore wagering sites, knowingly or unknowingly, the study found.
Some 34% of NFL bettors will place a bet through legal and illegal online platforms and 18% will wager with a bookie, either in person or via a mobile platform.
An estimated 25 million Americans will bet casually through pools, fantasy contests, squares, and with friends, family, and co-workers.
“The legal sports betting market continues to grow to the detriment of dangerous, illegal offshore operators,” Miller said. “The NFL and its teams must continue to prioritize and act on the shared responsibility to educate customers on regulated markets and responsible gaming principles in order to realize the full benefit of legal sports betting.”
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
