AGA: 45.2 million Americans set to bet on NFL this season
Latest trade body data anticipates 73% year-on-year rise in legal and illegal online betting
A record 45.2 million Americans will place a bet during the 2021 NFL season, according to latest research released by the American Gaming Association (AGA).
The figure represents a 36% year-on-year increase.
Based on a national sample of 2,200 American adults, the AGA discovered 19.5 million will place a wager online, both through legal and illegal sportsbooks, during the NFL season, up 73% from those that did so in 2020.
Sports betting through physical casino sportsbooks will rise 58% year-on-year to 10.5 million participants, while casual betting numbers will grow by 31% from 2020 to more than 21.7 million Americans.
Sample data indicates 14.6 million players will take part in either daily fantasy sports or pooled competitions, up 69% on last year.
AGA president Bill Miller said: “The enthusiasm of bettors for the upcoming NFL season highlights the remarkable growth of the industry over the past three years. “Importantly, when the 2021 NFL season begins, more than 111 million Americans will be able to wager safely with regulated sportsbooks in their home states rather than with the predatory illegal market.”
Since kick off of the 2020 NFL season, the number of legal US sports betting jurisdictions has swelled from 19 to 24, giving 107 million Americans will access to legal betting in their home state.
In a poll of excitement levels, 25% said they were more excited than they had been by this season than in previous seasons, compared to just 18% last year.
Fans from the Northeast (21%) are most interested in betting on the NFL this year, followed by those in the West (18%), Midwest (17%), and South (15%).
Among expected bettors, the Kansas City Chiefs are the most popular pick to win the Super Bowl (15%), followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11%) and the Dallas Cowboys (7%).