-
Casinos for you
AGA: Over 45 Million Americans to Bet on 2021 NFL Season
By Jeff Osienya Sep 09, 2021 IndustryThanks to the expansion of legal sports betting in the US and increased fan enthusiasm, a record 45 million-plus American adults plan to bet on the 2021 NFL season. 73% more sports bettors plan to bet on the NFL at online sportsbooks.A new report published by the American Gaming Association (AGA) on Tuesday, September 7th, indicates that a record 45.2 million Americans have plans to bet on the 2021 season of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, according to the AGA research, 38% more Americans will wager on the 2021 NFL games than the previous season.
From the data, the AGA attributes the increase in the number of sports bettors to the rapidly expanding legal sports betting industry in the US, rightly so. By the time the NFL 2020 season was starting, 18 states and the District of Columbia had launched legal sports betting operations. Right now, before the 2021 NFL season begins, a total of 23 states and the District of Columbia, have operational, legal sports betting markets.
By the season debut on September 9th, Washington State – the Evergreen State, Arizona, and South Dakota, will have their legal sports betting markets ready, to bring the total number of states to 26. And from the look of things, legal sports betting in five more states including Nebraska, Connecticut and Maryland will have gone live before the 2021 football season comes to an end.
After the publication of the report, AGA President and CEO Bill Miller shared a few words as follows:
Quote“Sports betting is more popular than ever among Americans, and 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* American adults will be able to wager safely with regulated sportsbooks in their home states rather than with the predatory illegal market.”
Key Findings from AGA’s NFL 2021 Sports Betting Stats
From the AGA report, betting activity on the 2021 NFL season will be high across all forms or channels of sports betting. However, online sportsbooks are expected to experience the most growth compared to 2020, whereas illegal offshore bookies are projected to see the least growth in sports bettors.
Below is a highlight of some of the most significant stats from AGA’s latest research on betting patterns for the 2021 football season, compared to the 2020 NFL season in brackets:
- 6.7 million Americans will place wagers with a bookie – (+13%)
- 10.5 million US sports bettors plan to bet in a physical casino sportsbook – (+58%)
- 14.6 million sports fans will take part in fantasy contests or other forms of pool competitions – (+69%)
- 19.5 million American sports bettors will place wagers via online (legal and illegal) sportsbooks – (+73%)
- 21.7 million adults in America plan to wager casually with friends – (+31%)
The AGA report has also indicated how valuable sports betting is to the National Football League. AGA’s data shows that 37% of NFL fans intend to place bets on the 2021 season, including 47% of sports bettors who consider themselves avid fans of the NFL. Additionally, 44% of all American adults and 63% of NFL fans believe that in-person sports betting at land-based casinos will up the ante of entertainment for attendees of the NFL matches at the stadiums.
Looking at the region-wise interest in betting on the 2021 NFL season, Northeast NFL fans are most interested in wagering on this year’s season, with 21% of them planning to bet on the matches. Fans from the Western region of America come in second with 18% of them planning to bet, followed by the Midwest and Southern NFL fans, with 17% and 15% of the fans planning to bet, respectively. With these insights, Miller added that:
Quote“Fans are the heartbeat of professional sports, and leagues like the NFL are realizing the full potential of sports betting to drive fan engagement. To capitalize on this tremendous opportunity, the NFL and its 32 teams must also realize their responsibility to educate fans and promote responsible gaming.”
Kansas City Chiefs are the Favourite to Win the Lombardi Trophy Yet Again
Interestingly, despite Tom Brady’s stellar performance last season, it appears that NFL fans are still not too sure about whether he will successfully lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory for their third Super Bowl Win. Like last year, most NFL fans who plan to bet this season have the Kansas City Chiefs as their favorite pick.
15% of the interviewed NFL fans picked the Chiefs as the most likely to lift the Lombardi Trophy, with the Buccaneers being the second favorite for this season at 11%. Last year, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers were nowhere in the top-five favorite team to win the Big Game. Finally, the Dallas Cowboys, the second favorite in 2020, have slid to the third Super Bowl Champion favorites this season, picked by 7% of the NFL fans.
The research was conducted via an online survey by the data intelligence company Morning Consult on behalf of the AGA. Interviews were conducted from August 25th to 30th, 2021, with a sample size of 2,200 Americans over 21 years old.
To date, sports betting has officially been legalized in a total of 33 jurisdictions (32 states and the District of Columbia. Of the 32 states, 16 of them are home to NFL teams, whereas seven other states with NFL teams haven’t legalized sports betting until now. In the first seven months of 2021, American sports bettors have legally spent a total of $27 billion on sports wagers. Further, sports betting activity has generated over $350 million in local, state, and federal taxes for that period.
You might also like