The Rise of Sports Betting in the US

You must go back to 2018 to find the landmark decision by the Supreme Court in the United States to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. The act had restricted legal sports betting across the United States, with Nevada being the exception. While some sports fans in the US decided to take things into their own hands and use offshore betting websites, there was always a risk involved. The removal of PASPA was a huge moment in the history of sports betting in the US and allowed states to create their own legislation for sports betting.

As highlighted above, there was already a huge demand for online sports betting products in the US prior to the end of PASPA. Americans are enthusiastic about sport and sports gambling and the market for legalized sports betting, especially online, was already in place. NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and MLS fans are dedicated to following their sports and favourite teams, in addition to gambling. You only must see the passion in the stands during an NFL game and what a Sunday means to NFL fans to quickly gain an understanding of the important it plays in peoples lives. Therefore, having the opportunity to bet on a favoured team in any of the big American sports was always going to be tempting and the changes in legislation made it happen.

Just two years following the changes in sports betting in the US, we saw 18 states offering regulated sports betting markets. As we entered 2022, there were roughly 30 states that allowed legal sports betting, with 18 of those states accepting legal online sports betting. So, from 2018 to 2022, we witnessed a rise from 0 to 100 million American people who can place a legal sports wager where they live. That is an incredible change in a small period of time and there is more to come in the future. We expect to see more states legalise sports betting, both in land-based venues and online.

In the 12 months from the beginning of 2021 to 2022, the sports betting market has grown in the US from 19 states to 32. If we look at some of the figures, the American Gaming Association’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker recorded a sports betting handle in the United States of $42.19 billion from January 2021 to October the same year. That figure is almost double the number of the same period in 2020 and much of the sports betting is on NFL. 

The NFL is the preferred sport for gamblers in the United States and it is believed over 60% of those betting on sports in the country choose to bet on NFL games. For those who are interested in having a wager on the NFL, we recommend checking out the latest NFL betting apps. You can use promo codes when joining online sportsbooks and enjoy special bonuses when betting on NFL, including risk free bets, deposit bonuses, and matched bonuses.

It is not just football betting that is big in the US. Soccer, Golf, basketball and hockey are all hugely favoured sports that bettors and having a wager on. The US Masters in particular has been drawing a lot of attention. And who could forget the popularity around who the next US president would be? Yep, Americans also love to bet on that too.

Online fantasy sports betting brands were already operating legally in the US and quickly moved to offer sports betting. They were in an advantageous position to capitalise on the changes in legislation. However, we have since seen many sports betting brands from Europe enter the US market and this, coupled with the casinos, has seen a dramatic rise in the number of sports betting companies in the United States. The more quality and greater selection of sportsbooks available means more people will be tempted to have a wager. This is only going to see an increase in the number of people betting on sport in the US.