With the growth of legal gaming, the discussion and activity around responsible gaming (RG) has never been more prominent. During the inaugural Responsible Gaming Education Month, RG leaders and experts discussed where responsible gaming is today, the player protections provided by the legal market, and what the path to a sustainable marketplace looks like.

Washington, D.C. – A record 31.4 million American adults plan to bet on Super Bowl LVI, a 35 percent increase from 2021, according to new American Gaming Association research. Bettors will wager an estimated $7.61 billion on this year’s championship game, up $3.33B (78%) from last year.

Americans’ betting plans are up across all wagering methods compared to 2021:

• 18.2 million American adults will place traditional sports wagers online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie, up 78 percent from 2021.
• 18.5 million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, up 23 percent from 2021.
• 76 percent say it is important for themselves personally to bet through a legal operator, up 11 percent from 2021.
• 55 percent of bettors plan to wager on the Los Angeles Rams compared to 45 percent on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Importantly, 106 million American adults (41%) recall advertising related to responsible gaming in the past year—an increase of 32 million people (12%) from 2020. This reflects the sports betting industry’s continued and deepened investment in responsible gaming resources, including through the recently relaunched HaveAGamePlan.org.

Background

• 30 states and Washington, D.C currently feature live, legal sports betting markets, with three additional legal markets awaiting launch.
• 45 million more Americans can legally wager in their home state compared to Super Bowl LV with Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming launching legal sports betting markets since last year’s big game.
• AGA’s Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly™ campaign is bringing sports betting stakeholders together to promote responsible gaming. NFL team partners include the Washington Commanders and New York Jets.

31.4 million American adults plan to bet a combined $7.61 billion on the Super Bowl LVI matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, according to American Gaming Association research. This includes 18 percent of Super Bowl viewers.

The number of Americans who plan to bet is an increase of 35 percent from 2021 and traditional sports betting will nearly surpass casual betting activity this year:

• 18.2 million American adults will place traditional sports wagers online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie, up 78 percent from 2021.
• 18.5 million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, up 23 percent from 2021.

The expansion of legal and online sports betting is expected to lead to significant growth in participation across traditional wagering methods compared to 2021:

• 12.9 million people plan to place a bet online this year, up 70 percent from 2021.
• 4.7 million people plan to place a bet in person at a sportsbook, up 231 percent from 2021.

Bettors slightly favor the Rams, with 55 percent saying they expect to bet on them to win, compared to 45 percent on the Bengals. Few people saw this matchup coming: according to AGA research on betting plans going into the season, just one percent of expected bettors said they would wager on the Bengals to win the Super Bowl and just two percent would have picked the Rams five months ago.

The Northeast has the highest expected betting participation (16%), followed by the West (15%), the Midwest (10%) and the South (10%). While legal sports betting is not available in either California or Ohio, more Rams fans (26%) than Bengals fans (22%) plan to bet on the game.

Most bettors (76%) say it is important to bet through a legal operator, up 11 points from 2021 and reflecting the importance of meeting consumers where they are and providing legal alternatives to offshore books.

Importantly, 106 million (41%) recall seeing or hearing advertising related to responsible gaming in the past year—an increase of 32 million people (12%) from 2020. This reflects the sports betting industry’s continued and deepened investment in responsible gaming resources, including through the recently relaunched HaveAGamePlan.org.

Background

• 30 states and Washington, D.C currently feature live, legal sports betting markets, with three additional legal markets awaiting launch.
• 45 million more Americans can legally wager on this year’s game in their home state compared to 2021, with Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming going live in the past year.
• AGA’s Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly™ campaign is bringing sports betting stakeholders together to promote responsible gaming. NFL team partners include the Washington Commanders and New York Jets.

Methodology
Morning Consult conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between Feb. 1-2, 2022, among a national sample of 2,212 adults. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and region. The margin of error is +/-2 percent and greater among subgroups. Bettors include those who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, in a pool or squares contest, or casually with family or friends.

The borderless nature of the internet means a state-by-state approach to mobile wagering in the United States presents challenges, especially as it pertains to responsible gaming and problem gambling.

By the end of 2021, roughly 63% of American adults will have access to sports betting, so as this number continues to grow, consumers must be able to access the help they may need, as well as enabling operators to effectively assist them.

Did you know that there are currently more than 25 different helpline numbers for problem gamblers in use across the U.S.?

This makes it onerous for operators as they attempt to advertise responsible gambling messages across digital platforms and causes consumers confusion at a time they are seeking out critical help.

Self-exclusion presents its own set of challenges for online gambling, where data shows 20-25% of gamblers are residents of a border state and not the state the gambling is taking place in.

Unregulated markets and sports integrity are also areas where centralizing industry initiatives are key to helping consumers.

The stakes are high, the complexities are significant, and there is a regulatory imperative to get this right for all stakeholders across the sports betting ecosystem.

Join us for this upcoming webinar to discuss:

• Friction points and how to eliminate them
• Consumers first: Ensuring those that need help can easily get it
• Self-Exclusion: Should we look to separate iGaming and centralize it like in the UK, Australia & Spain?
• Helplines, Having A Game Plan, Lived Experience Education, and Being Bettor Safe – The tools are there – how do we get more adoption?
• Best practices that should be top of mind for industry

A record 50.4 million American adults (20%) are expected to bet $16 billion on Super Bowl LVII, according to American Gaming Association (AGA) research. The expected number of bettors is a 61 percent increase from AGA’s 2022 estimates and the expected wagering total is more than double last year’s projections.

With the expansion of legal sports betting, traditional Super Bowl wagers are expected to pass casual wagers for the first time ever. 30 million American adults plan to place a traditional sports wager online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie (up 66% from 2022), while 28 million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest (up 50% from 2022).

Sports betting legalization is also driving fan interest in the NFL, as more than a third (34%) of NFL fans say that the expansion of legal sports betting has made watching an NFL game more exciting.

Industry investments in responsible gaming continue to resonate. The majority of traditional Super Bowl bettors (71%) report seeing a responsible gaming message in the last year. Importantly, younger Americans (under 35 years old) are more likely to recall seeing a responsible gaming message and younger bettors are more likely to say it is important to only wager legally.

Bettors are evenly split on the outcome of the game with 44 percent each planning to bet on the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

Methodology
Morning Consult conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2023, among a national sample of 2,199 adults. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment and region. The margin of error is +/-2 percent and greater among subgroups. Bettors include those who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, in a pool or squares contest, or casually with family or friends.

American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Bill Miller issued the following statement following Tuesday’s election that saw ballot initiatives legalize sports betting in Louisiana, Maryland, and South Dakota and expand casino gaming in Colorado, Nebraska, and Virginia:

“As a result of successful ballot measures in six gaming states, more Americans will have access to much needed job opportunities, dedicated tax revenue, and safe, regulated entertainment options closer to home.

“Some form of legal gaming is currently authorized in 44 states, and more than 45 percent of American adults – 115 million – live in states with legal, regulated sports betting and the safeguards these markets provide.

“Our industry has a long history of working successfully with federal and state governments that span party lines, and we look forward to our continued collaboration with champions in Washington, DC to shape a favorable policy environment for gaming.

“The AGA will work with the bipartisan Congressional Gaming Caucus in the 117th Congress to ensure policymakers understand our industry’s commitment to responsibility and the positive economic impact we have in communities across the country.

“We also look forward to continuing to work with members on both sides of the aisle to address overly burdensome and unnecessary regulations and taxes, as well as reducing illegal gambling operations that continue to pose a risk to the American public and the economic success of our industry.

“However, there remains an urgent need to address the national economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To effectively recover, our industry needs critical relief that aids employee retention and rehiring, provides liability protections for responsible operators, supports tribal nations, and jumpstarts the travel and tourism industry. And we’ll continue to work with leaders in this Congress and the Trump administration to advance these immediate priorities.

“There has never been a more important time for the gaming industry to speak with a unified voice and common purpose. The AGA will continue to bring our industry together to work with policymakers, regulators, and all relevant stakeholders as we navigate gaming’s recovery—a recovery that is vital to communities across our nation.”

Casino gaming has become an integral part of the Maryland economy. From supporting small business to creating jobs that pave the way to the middle class, gaming serves as a cornerstone to strengthen Maryland’s diverse communities.

Casinos & Communities: Maryland offers a narrative look at the gaming industry’s economic and social contributions to communities in the Free State. The research couples key data on gaming’s economic impact—15,364 jobs supported and $713 million in wages generated annually—with testimonials from local business owners, non-profits and elected officials about gaming’s positive impact in their communities.

The casino gaming industry is driving small business growth across the country by supporting 350,000 small business jobs – that’s more than 14 times the number of Air Traffic Controllers in America, twice the number of dentists and larger than the entire freight rail industry, according to research released by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

Key findings from the study include:

• Casinos are responsible for $52 billion in annual small business revenues across real estate, finance, health care, STEM, manufacturing, information technology and other industries;
• Casinos support roughly 350,000 small business jobs;
• Casinos support $13 billion in small business employee wages;
• More than half of casino industry-supported jobs are at non-gaming businesses such as local restaurants and shops that see an increase in traffic from a casino property

In support of the AGA’s Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM), RG24seven Virtual Training is hosting a live webinar demonstrating their responsible, effective, and free video-based training for Tribal and commercial gaming employees.

Main Discussion Topics:
1. RG24seven Virtual Training System: A team of experts will provide a live demo of the training system covering Responsible Gaming, AML, Human Trafficking Awareness, and other essential in-compliance courses.

2. Affordable and Cost-effective Tiers: Learn about complimentary and customizable options to find the best fit for your organization

3. Next Steps: They will discuss the process of onboarding and how to easily get the learners in your organization or department started

4. Q&A: They will address frequently asked questions and answer all your questions ensuring that you have a clear understanding of RG24seven’s offerings.

Join us for an insightful webinar on leveraging the Responsible Gaming Education Month toolkit to enhance your company’s responsible gaming initiatives. This webinar will provide an in-depth overview of the toolkit’s resources, practical implementation strategies, and real-world success stories.