Washington, D.C. – American support for legal sports betting has grown significantly since the federal ban on sports wagering was lifted in 2018, according to new American Gaming Association (AGA) research. Key findings show:

• 85 percent of American adults agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), compared to 63 percent in 2019.
• 77 percent of American adults support legalization in their state of residence.
• 39.2 million American adults have placed a traditional sports wager in the last 12 months.
• 78 percent of bettors place all or most bets through regulated operators.
• 77 percent of online sports bets are now placed through regulated operators, compared to just 44 percent in 2019.

“American adults have always enjoyed betting on sports, and overwhelmingly value the ability to bring their action into a legal market, close to home,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “The rapid spread of legal sports betting—fueled by regulated, responsible entities—has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly that PASPA perpetuated.”

Since May 2018, Americans have legally wagered $220 billion nationwide, generating $3 billion in state and local taxes for education, healthcare, infrastructure, responsible gaming and problem gambling resource funding and more.

Bettor Migration to Legal Sportsbooks

As the legal market grows, it is increasingly attracting and retaining customers from illegal bookies and offshore operators:

• Nearly half (46%) of bettors that currently bet primarily with unregulated operators plan to transition to regulated operators within the next 12 months.
• Nine in 10 (90%) bettors who place most of their bets legally intend to stay within the legal market in the next year.

Among the top reasons bettors are choosing legal operators over illegal operators are confidence bets will be paid out (71%), trust in account security and easier payment options (68%), and availability of responsible gaming resources (58%).

Consumer Awareness
Compared to five years ago, consumers have a significantly better understanding of the legal status of sports betting in their state, however, survey results also point to continued need for consumer education:

• Only 29 percent of American adults say they are unsure of the legality of online sportsbooks in their state, a 45 percent decrease since 2018.
• Yet, 70 percent of sports bettors who placed most of their bets with illegal operators believed they were betting either exclusively with legal sportsbooks or splitting their bets evenly between legal and illegal operators.

Consumer confusion is in part attributable to illegal offshore sites misrepresenting their legal status by marketing themselves as regulated sites. Among online sports bettors, they believe a site is legal based on a statement on the website (38%), odds being mentioned by the media (36%), and search results (32%).

“Five years post-PASPA, the AGA and our members continue to support responsibly expanding the legal market while cracking down on predatory illegal operators,” continued Miller. “The regulated industry and our partners across the entire ecosystem—policymakers, law enforcement, regulators, leagues, media, technology providers and more—have made significant strides in our collaborative consumer education efforts since 2018, and we will continue to find new ways to enhance consumer protections as the market matures.”

Background

• 33 states and Washington, D.C. currently feature live, legal sports betting markets, with four additional legal markets awaiting launch.
• More than half of American adults (57%, 141M) live in a live, legal sports betting market.
• AGA’s Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly.™ campaign is bringing sports betting stakeholders together to promote responsible gaming.
• AGA research shows Americans currently wager $64 billion annually with illegal operators, down from pre-PASPA estimates of $150 billion. This 40 percent of market share robs states of $700M in tax dollars annually.

Methodology
Heart+Mind Strategies conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between March 14-20, 2023, among a national 21+ sample of 1,066 general population adults and a sample of 1,005 sports bettors. The data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender and region. The overall margin of error is +/-3 percent. Sports bettors are defined as adults who have placed a traditional sports bet at a casino, online or with a bookie in the past 12 months.

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The National Hockey League’s (NHL) annual revenue may increase by $216 million annually due to widely available, legal, regulated sports betting, according to a new Neilsen Sports study commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

The study analyzes the revenue streams that legal sports betting could generate for the NHL: revenue as a result of spending from betting operators on advertising, data and sponsorship, and revenue generated as a result of increased consumption of the league’s media and products.

According to Nielsen Sports, greater fan engagement and viewership could boost the NHL’s total annual revenue from media rights, sponsorships, merchandise and ticket sales by 3.5 percent, producing $151 million in new revenue from increased consumption of the league’s products.

Legal sports betting could help the NHL generate an additional $65 million in revenue as a result of spending by betting operators and data providers. The study projects that gaming operators may spend $24 million on advertising, which will directly increase the league’s rights fees by the same amount. An additional $35 million in sponsorship revenue and $6 million in data is also projected for the league and its teams.

“Today’s announcement reaffirms that legal, regulated sports betting will create significant new revenue opportunities for sports leagues,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association. “Much like the NHL’s recent successful expansion into Las Vegas, legal sports betting will continue to expand across the country, bringing with it a $216 million opportunity for the league.”

To quantify the value of a legal sports betting market to the NHL, Nielsen Sports surveyed more than 1,000 adult sports fans – including NHL fans – and self-identified sports bettors nationwide to model how a national, legal sports betting market would affect the sports consumption habits of non-bettors, casual bettors and avid bettors, and how this change in consumption would translate to increased revenue.

About the Research
On behalf of the American Gaming Association, Nielsen Sports conducted a custom survey of 1,032 U.S. 18+ adults, representative of census age, gender, geography and ethnicity, from May 15 through May 31, 2018. Nielsen is an independent measurement organization. Nielsen does not guarantee any results or performance, or endorse, rank, approve or recommend any products or services. All names and marks are the property of their respective owners and no sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement in expressed or implied.

About AGA
The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

The AGA has conducted what we believe to be the largest and most comprehensive survey of consumer sports betting behavior to date. That research, “Current and Future Sports Betting Behavior Post-PASPA,” was designed to shed light on Americans’ knowledge and opinions of sports betting and to gain insight into the behaviors, preferences and expectations of current and potential sports bettors.

Among the findings:

• 39% of adult Americans – about 100 million people – are either current or potential future sports bettors.
• There is widespread uncertainty concerning the current legal landscape. In states where casino sports betting is legal, only 56% are aware that it is. Only 41% of Americans know that placing a bet with a bookie is illegal.
• 46% of current sports bettors in newly legalized states report that legalization has led to an increase in sports betting frequency.
• 63% of current sports bettors say they would either replace or use a different credit card if their payment card is not allowed to be used for sports betting.
• The ability to place a sports bet securely is the most important factor when consumers consider future sports bets.
• Two-thirds of current sports bettors are at least somewhat familiar with esports.

The complete research is available to AGA members.

Methodology
This survey was conducted on behalf of the American Gaming Association by Heart + Mind Strategies between November and December 2018 and comprised a total sample of 6,777 interviews among 21+ year-old Americans of various subgroups.

WASHINGTON – Sports betting adults are more affluent, younger, more diverse and better educated adults than the general population, according to an American Gaming Association (AGA) commissioned study from Nielsen Sports.

The research identifies groundbreaking demographic and behavioral characteristics of self-identified bettors who the AGA believes will populate the future legal U.S. betting landscape. A second, forthcoming element of the project will estimate the amount of revenue this demographic can help unlock for the major U.S. sports leagues.

Among this crucial demographic for sports leagues and broadcasters, 71 percent of those research participants who currently bet with a bookie say they would shift some or all of their betting activity to a regulated market if they had access to a legal platform.

According to Nielsen Sports, 44 percent of sports bettors are adults under the age of 35, as opposed to 31 percent of the general population. Twenty-nine percent of bettors earn a household income of more than $100K, almost double the proportion of the general population.

“The Nielsen Sports data supports what we’ve long expected: access to legal sports wagering will increase fan engagement in major sport contests and enable a significant revenue generation opportunity for major sports leagues and teams,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association.

“Expanding access to legal sports betting will bring millennial audiences back to sports broadcasts and stadiums, which is a huge benefit for sport enterprises across the country. However, this potential will only be realized with proper policy frameworks that empower consumers with competitive odds, access to all bets and the ability to tap into modern platforms including mobile. Without this focus on consumers, the illegal market will continue to thrive,” said Slane.

Nielsen Sports surveyed more than 1,000 adult sports fans – including fans of the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL – and self-identified sports bettors nationwide, identifying demographics and consumption habits to quantify the value of the legal sports betting market.

Additional research is underway to quantify how much each league can realize from widely-available, legal, regulated sports betting. Topline findings from the research are available here. Click here for individual graphs representing this research.

About the research

On behalf of the American Gaming Association, Nielsen Sports conducted a custom survey of 1,032 U.S. 18+ adults, representative of census age, gender, geography and ethnicity, from May 15 through May 31, 2018. Nielsen is an independent measurement organization. Nielsen does not guarantee any results or performance, or endorse, rank, approve or recommend any products or services. All names and marks are the property of their respective owners and no sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement in expressed or implied.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

 

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Today, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the following statement in response to the “Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018,” introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

“This bill is the epitome of a solution in search of a problem, representing an unprecedented and inappropriate expansion of federal involvement in the gaming industry, which is currently one of the most strictly regulated in the country,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association. “Across the country, nearly 4,000 dedicated public servants already regulate all forms of gaming, including sports wagering, with more than $500 million committed to ensuring the integrity of commercial casinos’ operations and $822 million spent on regulation of tribal gaming in 2015 alone. These state and tribal regulators have decades of experience effectively overseeing gaming operations within their jurisdictions.

“Additional areas this bill seeks to address – including the mandatory use of official league data and the creation of a national sports wagering clearinghouse – can, and should, be decided by marketplace negotiations between private businesses and cooperative agreements among jurisdictions. In the mere six months since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal, regulated sports betting, significant developments on both of these fronts have already occurred without any federal involvement.

“While federal regulation of sports betting will continue to be a non-starter for the gaming industry, we appreciate the sponsors’ recognition that more must be done to curb illegal sports betting operations, which continue to pose the biggest impediment to the success of a legal market that will benefit and protect consumers, sports leagues and casino operators alike.”

Today, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released the following statement in response to the “Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018,” introduced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

“This bill is the epitome of a solution in search of a problem, representing an unprecedented and inappropriate expansion of federal involvement in the gaming industry, which is currently one of the most strictly regulated in the country,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association. “Across the country, nearly 4,000 dedicated public servants already regulate all forms of gaming, including sports wagering, with more than $500 million committed to ensuring the integrity of commercial casinos’ operations and $822 million spent on regulation of tribal gaming in 2015 alone. These state and tribal regulators have decades of experience effectively overseeing gaming operations within their jurisdictions.

“Additional areas this bill seeks to address – including the mandatory use of official league data and the creation of a national sports wagering clearinghouse – can, and should, be decided by marketplace negotiations between private businesses and cooperative agreements among jurisdictions. In the mere six months since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal, regulated sports betting, significant developments on both of these fronts have already occurred without any federal involvement.

“While federal regulation of sports betting will continue to be a non-starter for the gaming industry, we appreciate the sponsors’ recognition that more must be done to curb illegal sports betting operations, which continue to pose the biggest impediment to the success of a legal market that will benefit and protect consumers, sports leagues and casino operators alike.”

Washington, D.C. – In a letter to federal lawmakers today, American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Geoff Freeman reiterated the gaming industry’s top priorities in the evolving debate on how to create a successful legal sports betting market in the United States.

Following last week’s momentous U.S. Supreme Court decision ending the federal sports betting ban, the casino gaming industry is dedicated to building the world’s most secure and successful sports betting system. As legal, regulated sport betting expands across the country, AGA and the gaming industry will work with all stakeholders who share our commitment to eliminating the vast illegal gaming market.

Below are the priorities the gaming industry will pursue:

1. Empower State Regulation: More than 40 states and 260 jurisdictions have proven to be effective gaming regulators. AGA will be a resource to state policymakers and regulators as they consider sports betting legalization. AGA will also combat any attempts by the federal government to neuter state regulatory power.
2. Place Consumers First: AGA encourages all stakeholders to understand the intricacies of the illegal marketplace and why consumers turn to it. AGA will promote strong consumer protections – which the illegal market fails to offer – and consumer-centric conveniences such as intrastate mobile wagering.
3. Strengthen Game Integrity: Rigorous sports betting regulation strengthens game integrity, a primary aim shared by the gaming industry and sporting bodies. New technologies make it possible to track legal wagering and identify suspicious activities. The gaming industry supports establishing a national data repository to share any suspicious betting information with law enforcement, gaming regulators and sporting bodies.
4. Promote Responsible Gaming and Responsible Advertising: The gaming industry encourages effective responsible gaming programs in all jurisdictions that enact regulated sports betting. To this end, the gaming industry will voluntarily pursue the creation of a self-regulatory model to guide sports betting advertising.
5. Encourage Contracts over Statutes: Sports betting can benefit sporting bodies and gaming companies alike. The gaming industry supports strong contracts between these parties to address issues such as data and the value of other activities. The gaming industry will vigorously oppose efforts to use federal or state legislation to set basic business terms.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs in 40 states. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

WASHINGTON – In testimony this morning at the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations hearing, “Post-PASPA: An Examination of Sports Betting in America,” Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs at the American Gaming Association (AGA), emphasized that federal oversight of sports betting is unnecessary in ongoing efforts to create effective legal sports betting markets in the United States. 

Highlights of Slane’s opening remarks include:

“Because of the active, robust state and regulatory tribal gaming oversight, gaming is one of the most strictly regulated industries in America. Right now, over 4,000 gaming regulators with budgets that exceed $1.3 billion dollars oversee the gaming industry.”

In partnership with teams, leagues and regulators, gaming operators have successfully protected the integrity of both bets and competitions for decades in Nevada. AGA’s continued position of support for state and tribal regulators was echoed in testimony by Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Becky Harris.

“I don’t think that right now is the time for any kind of federal engagement with regard to gambling,” said Chairwoman Harris. “States do a great job in every area including sports betting and we’ve just begun to see the roll out in other states. Nevada has a comprehensive regulatory structure that has been refined over decades, and we have a lot of integrity in our process.”

Gaming is largely regulated by state and tribal governments across the country.

“Just as Congress has refrained from regulating lotteries, slot machines, table games and other gambling products, it should leave sports betting oversight to the states and tribes that are closest to the market,” continued Slane. “With such robust and rigorous regulatory oversight at both the state and federal levels, there is no need to overcomplicate or interfere with a system that is already working.”

Click here to read Slane’s written testimony and here to view her opening remarks.

Background:

Transforming the illegal, underground sports betting market into an open, legal market under state and tribal regulatory oversight will accomplish these critical public policy goals:

• Protect consumers – by ensuring that sports betting is fair, safe, transparent and accountable;
• Increase transparency – by giving state and tribal regulators the power to oversee betting;
• Enhance sports integrity – by providing regulators, sports leagues and law enforcement with the technology, insight and tools they need to monitor, identify and shut down any suspicious or illegal betting activity; and
• Generate jobs and tax revenues – by giving communities new ways to boost local economies.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $261 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, gaming suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

March 11 Announcement

As a result of continued developments related to coronavirus (COVID-19), we have made the difficult decision to postpone AGA’s Sports Betting Executive Summit. Ultimately, this is the best course of action to ensure the health and safety of our speakers, attendees, and employees—which is where the AGA, our members, and all of you are appropriately focused.

What makes the AGA’s Sports Betting Executive Summit unique is the caliber of the program and attendees. As the convener, we simply will not compromise on the quality of the event, or most importantly, the health and safety of everyone involved.

The AGA is currently assessing options for holding the event at a future date and time. We will provide an update as soon as we can.

If you have questions, please reach out to Jonathan Michaels or Casey Clark.

About the Sports Betting Executive Summit
The AGA’s Sports Betting Executive Summit is an exclusive invitation-only gathering of the country’s leading executives in the sports betting ecosystem to address the expansion of legalized, regulated sports betting in the U.S. This complimentary 1.5-day summit will revolve around the viability of sports betting markets, in-play technological innovations, consumer insights, and the future of payments.

WASHINGTON – More than 47 million Americans will place bets on the 2021 March Madness tournament, with online and physical sportsbook betting expected to grow dramatically compared to 2019, compensating for lower expected participation in bracket contests, according to new data from the American Gaming Association (AGA).

“The sports betting landscape has changed dramatically since 2019 – and as a result, tournament betting has transformed,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “As consumers formerly limited to bracket contests now enjoy access to legal sportsbook options, they also plan to place traditional sports bets as March Madness returns.”

While the overall number of Americans betting is flat from 2019, there have been significant shifts in how people plan to bet on the tournament this year. Bracket betting is expected to decline but more traditional sports bets placed online or at a brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are expected to more than double.

Since the 2019 tournament, 74 million more Americans have gained the opportunity to bet safely in legal markets in 14 new jurisdictions.

Key findings from the survey, conducted by Morning Consult, include:

• 47.4 million American adults will wager on March Madness, about the same number that indicated they would bet on the tournament in 2019.
• 36.7 million Americans will fill out a bracket, down 8% from 2019.
• 30.6 million Americans will place more traditional bets on this year’s tournament, up from 17.8 million in 2019.
• 17.8 million will place a bet online, up 206% from 5.8 million in 2019.
• 8.3 million will place a bet at a physical sportsbook, up 79% from 2019.

Interest in the tournament is up slightly from 2019, with 26% of Americans saying they are extremely or very interested in the tournament, compared to 23% two years ago.

42% of fans said they followed college basketball more closely this season, with 70% of those following more closely attributing their increased attention either somewhat or very significantly to the increased availability of legal sports betting.

Gonzaga University is the betting public’s favorite to win the tournament (17%), followed by Florida State University (11%) and Baylor University (8%).

“With more legal, regulated sports betting options than ever before, millions of customers now have safer ways to enjoy all the fun and suspense only March Madness provides,” said Miller.

Background

• 25 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized sports betting, with 21 legal markets operational.
• 17 states currently have active or pre-filed legislation to legalize sports betting.

Methodology

This survey was conducted on behalf of the AGA by Morning Consult between March 3- 5, 2021 among a national sample of 2,200 adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, educational attainment, gender, race and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points and higher among subgroups. Bettors include those who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, casually with a friend or participate in a bracket contest.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Global Payments Inc., a leading worldwide provider of payment technology and software solutions, is the newest partner of the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have A Game Plan.^® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign.

The partnership, announced as part of Responsible Gaming Education Week (September 19-25, 2021), will include Global Payments incorporating Have A Game Plan into its social media channels and customer-facing marketing. The company will also communicate the importance of responsible gaming awareness through its extended weekly blog series.

“Global Payments is deeply committed to responsible gaming—and this is why we’re proud to join the Have A Game Plan initiative to promote responsible sports wagering,” said Global Payments President Christopher Justice. “Our success depends on continuing to build strong relationships with our customers that are rooted in education and responsibility.”

“With more Americans able to wager legally than ever before, the gaming industry is committed to making responsibility a key component of the legal sports betting market,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Digital payments provide new tools for responsible gaming and through Global Payments’ partnership, their customers can have a fun, responsible, and seamless betting experience.”

AGA’s Have A Game Plan campaign promotes four core principles of responsible sports betting: set a budget and stick to it, keep betting social, know the odds, and play with trusted, regulated operators.

Sports betting is now legal in 32 states and the District of Columbia, with 27 jurisdictions already operational. More than 111 million American adults can now bet legally in their state.

AGA’s Responsible Gaming Education Week educates consumers on the importance of playing responsibly, highlighting responsible gaming’s central role in sports betting and the industry at large.

The AGA launched Have A Game Plan in late 2019 to educate sports fans on the principles of responsible sports betting. Global Payments joins campaign partners across the sports betting landscape, including DraftKings, FanDuel, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, NASCAR, the New York Jets, the NHL, the PGA TOUR, SeventySix Capital, Sightline Payments, Sinclair Broadcast Group, UFC, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Washington Football Team.

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