Pickwise Survey Offers Insight into US Basketball Bettors

Pickwise, a leading sport betting analyst firm in the United States, has commissioned a report looking into the habits of basketball bettors in the country. The company has been able to identify patterns that determine what motivates basketball fans to pursue sports wagering opportunities.

The survey, called The Inaugural Pickwise Annual Sports Bettor Survey has been conducted by Beacon Research and included 1,500 self-professed US sports bettors who are based in states where the sports gambling industry is regulated.

Pickwise Reveals Basketball Bettors as a Competitive Lot

Based on Pickwise’s findings, basketball bettors still consider wagering as a recreational activity, but equally, show a more dedicated approach to it and feel more engaged with the basketball action. Still, fans are highly motivated by winning and that is something they strive to achieve with every wager they place.

In fact, Pickwise established that 73% of all bettors who place wagers on college or professional basketball games are likely to cite winning as one of the main reasons for getting involved with the hobby. Another 43% said that winning money was the biggest incentive to continue playing.

The percentages dropped a little for people who don’t bet on basketball, to 67% and 36% respectively, meaning that basketball bettors seem to be a little more competitive in nature if the survey’s results are accurate. Some 77% of all basketball respondents seem to bet weekly, compared to 56% for non-basketball bettors.

Taking a Look at the Demographics of Bettors

Commenting on the survey and its findings, Dan Pozner, who works as VP of content at Spotlight Sports Group, which in turn owns Pickwise, had this to say:

“As legal sports betting continues to expand across the U.S., it’s becoming increasingly clear that betting profiles vary by sport. Fans are highly engaged across a number of sports, but those with interest in basketball stand alone with a uniquely diligent approach.”

Spotlight Sports Group VP of content Dan Pozner

The survey also discovered that football still led the way in terms of the most bet-on sport with 73% of respondents placing a wager on the NFL compared to only 62% of respondents betting on basketball.

Pickwise’s analysis also took into consideration how much each group spent on preparing to place a wager, and 33% of basketball fans took longer on average compared to ordinary sports betting fans, around two hours per week to research and analyze the available data. Only 26% of the non-basketball bettors researched data before placing a bet.

Basketball bettors are also more likely to have multiple sports betting accounts to make the best use of the available fluctuations in the odds. Demographically speaking, basketball bettors are also younger, more diverse, and curiously enough, more likely to be single.