The NFL is still the most popular sport to bet on in the United States, according to a YouGov study released Thursday, but the NBA and soccer are gaining serious ground — especially among younger Americans.
YouGov, a marketing research firm, asked 24,563 monthly sports bettors to name which sports they had bet on in the past 12 months. Among U.S. respondents age 55 and up, the NFL was by far the most popular sport, with 71% saying they’d bet on pro football. Next up was Major League Baseball (47%), followed by the NBA (43%), soccer (13%), and esports (3%).
Bettors between the ages of 18-34, however, had far different interests. In this group, the NBA (41%) proved most popular, followed by soccer (38%), the NFL (35%), esports (32%), and MLB (23%).
The NFL (50%) was tops in the 35-54 age group, followed by the NBA (45%), MLB (34%), soccer (30%), and esports (19%).
Differing attitudes on problem gambling
Unsurprisingly, DraftKings and FanDuel had the most global “brand consideration,” according to YouGov’s index, with BetMGM and bet365 a tier below. Despite the fact that it ceased taking wagers this past summer, FOX Bet outranked Caesars Sportsbook.
Among a handful of other surprises, more Americans said they’d gambled offline in the past year than through the internet, while a higher percentage of Texans said they’d placed a bet in the past year than residents of Ohio. Since unlike Ohio, most forms of gambling are illegal in the Lone Star State, one imagines law-abiding Texans have been blazing a trail to casinos in neighboring Louisiana or Oklahoma.
As far as Americans’ overall attitudes toward gambling, 26% of those surveyed said they felt gambling should be illegal, while 21% agreed with the statement, “I really enjoy gambling.” Among gamblers between the ages of 18 and 34, 54% agreed with the statement “casinos are depressing,” while 71% feel that “sports betting is addictive.”
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Fully half of those surveyed in this younger demographic acknowledged being “very worried about the issue of problem gambling,” while only 23% of gamblers above the age of 54 felt the same way.
Among all monthly bettors in the U.S., 61% said wagering on a game makes it more likely that they’ll watch it, a sentiment shared by just 27% of the general public and 33% of sports fans.