Americans in favour of betting with regulated bookmakers

Most punters in the United States would prefer betting with regulated operators if given the opportunity, a survey has revealed.

An American Gambling Association’s (AGA) commissioned survey, conducted by Nielsen Sports, shows that most of the bettors currently patronising illegal gambling activities, would like to bet with licenced operators if allowed.

Since the Supreme Court’s repeal of the PAPSA, states like New Jersey, Mississippi and Delaware, have already introduced gambling activities with others like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Rhode Island, seeking to follow suit.

The survey conducted among more than 1,000 adult sports fans showed that 44% of sports betters are adults under 35 years, contrary to the 31% of the general population. That aside, about 29% of punters earned household income above $100,000, which is almost 100% of the proportion of the general population.

According to the survey, about 38% of punters would prefer betting legally if given the opportunity, while 33% will do that in part. However, about 29% of punters indicated that they would not change bookies, despite legal alternatives.

The senior vice-president of public affairs for the American Gaming Association, Sara Slane, said there was plenty of positives with the regulated sports betting market.

“The Nielsen Sports data supports what we’ve long expected: access to legal sports wagering will increase fan engagement in major sports contests and enable a significant revenue generation opportunity for major sports leagues and teams,” she said.

“Expanding access to legal sports betting will bring millennial audiences back to sports broadcasts and stadiums, which is a huge benefit for sports enterprises across the country.

“However, this potential will only be realised with proper policy frameworks that empower consumers with competitive odds, access to all bets and the ability to tap into modern platforms including mobile. Without this focus on consumers, the illegal market will continue to thrive.”

Participants in the survey included self-identified sports bettors nationwide and fans of the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB.