Five years post-PASPA: Consumer sports betting trends, by AGA

•             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. 

•             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.

Since May 2018, Americans have legally wagered $220 billion nationwide, generating $3 billion in state and local taxes. According to previous AGA research, legal wagering expansion has eroded the illegal U.S. sports betting market by 60 percent from pre-PASPA estimates.

Migrating Bettors: 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.

Consumer Awareness: 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. 

Between the Lines: 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%).

Making an Impact

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.

“Five years post-PASPA, the AGA and our members continue to support responsibly expanding the legal market while cracking down on predatory illegal operators. 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.” – AGA President and CEO Bill Miller.