AGA Says a Record Number of Players Will Bet on the NFL

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has conducted new research on sports wagering ahead of the new National Football League season. According to the association’s findings, more people than ever are going to bet on pro football during the upcoming season.

A Record-Breaking Number of People Will Bet on the NFL

The NFL will kick in on September 9 and will once again engage fans of professional football. With the league just around the corner, the AGA decided to conduct research and see how many sports enthusiasts will be wagering. According to the results of its survey, a record number of sports fans plan to bet.

The AGA estimates that about 46.6 million punters in the United States are going to play with sportsbooks during the NFL season. This represents a 3% year-on-year increase and is a record-breaking number of NFL sports bettors. Almost half of these people (23%) are going to play online instead of at a retail sportsbook, according to the AGA. Meanwhile, around 10.6 million people will prefer to visit a brick-and-mortar sportsbook.

Another curious finding is that the majority of gamblers plan to abandon the black market and will instead play with one of the licensed sports betting operators. Only 13% of the NFL bettors will use a bookie. For reference, this represents a 15% decline from 2021. It should also be noted that the majority of bookie bettors are people from states without regulated sports betting markets.

The US Betting Industry Is More Responsible than Ever

The AGA also inquired whether people know about the responsible gambling tools available to them. Surprisingly, a whopping 92% of US punters said they are aware of the ways in which they can regulate their wagering behavior. In addition, nine in ten seasoned sports bettors said that they have seen responsible gambling ads. Over half of them said that they have heard more about responsible gambling within the past 12 months, than in earlier years.  

According to AGA’s findings, 82% of the bettors who played during the past NFL season, believe that responsible gambling programs do work. Lastly, 81% said that they believe the industry cares for its customers and is committed to responsible gaming. Bill Miller, chief executive officer and president of the American Gaming Association attributed the results to the maturation of the legal sports betting markets across the country. He noted that it is clear consumers want legal sports betting options and are well aware that the regulated industry is much more committed to responsibility. Miller concluded that responsibility is a core pillar part of the US sports betting ecosystem and is the key to building a sustainable market.