The most popular sports for betting in the US
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The popularity of sports betting in the US
has exploded ever since the Supreme Court struck down the act that essentially
outlawed it all. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was scrapped in May 2018, allowing every US state to legalize sports betting such as Aviator Mostbet as they see fit.
One of the biggest wins for sports bettors
was the ability to now be able to bet
online as opposed to brick and mortar land-based sportsbooks that had been
popular before. This means that you can now wager on your favourite sports from
the comfort of your own home. Online betting is now legal in 26 US states with
many more expected to follow suit in the near future.
We are now coming up to five years since
the ruling was passed and hundreds of billions have now been wagered. In fact,
in the first 10 months of 2022 an eyewatering $70 billion was wagered on sports
alone. But what are the American people wagering on exactly? Lets take a look
at the most popular sports for betting in the US according to Variety
Intelligence Platform’s special report.
Soccer – 28% of bettors The steady rise of soccer in the US has
seen it become one of the top five most popular sports to bet on in the
country. Perhaps surprisingly, it now narrowly beats out NHL. This can be put
down to a number of reasons. The USMNT are now welcoming through a golden
generation of talent such as Christian Pulisic and Giovanni Reyna who both play
at some of Europe’s top clubs. This has drawn the eyes of many fans. The
women’s team has also dominated the international game for the best part of a
decade now as well. Finally, the MLS
has welcomed some huge name stars in recent years on both a playing and
coaching level such as Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Wayne Rooney.
College Football – 34% of bettors Football is the most popular college sport
to bet on in the us with 34% of mobile bettors placing bets on the game. Despite
the season running concurrently with the NFL, it still remains in the top five
popular sports to bet on in the US. A big reason for this is likely that most
games are played on a Saturday afternoon, with NFL games being played on
Sunday. This allows for more eyes on the sport itself away from the big leagues
and consequently means plenty of sports fans are likely to place bets.
MLB – 44% of bettors Of the top four major leagues in the US,
Major League Baseball ranks at third. A huge reason for this is likely down to
the sheer volume of games in the MLB regular season. With every team playing a
minimum of 162 games, this makes a total of 2,430 games per season. That
compared to the 1,230 in an NHL season is likely why it beats out. It is also
one of the most well followed sports in the country, with over 14 million
people tuning into the MLB finals in 2022 compared to around 5 million for the
NHL.
NBA/Basketball – 54% of bettors Coming in at number two is unsurprisingly
the NBA. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world with the NBA
of course being the major league and the second most popular league in the US.
One of the most popular markets to wager on for NBA bettors is the point
spread, which is where a large number of bets go. However, in recent years
player props have become extremely popular especially with the advent of same
game parlays. Although the NBA is the go-to for basketball bettors, the NCAA
March Madness tournament is one of the most popular events to bet on within the
sport. The American Gaming Association claims about $10 billion is bet on the
March Madness tournament
NFL – 81% of bettors It is no surprise that America’s favourite
sport ranks top of this list by quite some way and you could probably guess the
most popular game to bet on as well. The
2023 edition of the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles shattered
sports betting records with 50 million Americans wagering on the big game
according to the AGA. That is approximately one in five adults. Betting on a game
with such a media focus is a great setting of point for those who have perhaps
not bet on sports before. It has also been found that this is a significant
driver for NFL viewership with two-thirds of mobile gamblers saying they watch
the NFL more often when they bet on a game. The numbers spike significantly
during postseason games in both viewership and betting behaviour. The allure of
the NFL has a hold over all other sports betting online.
