The American Gaming Association (AGA) has commissioned new research to uncover the state of play among the nation’s bettors, ever since the federal government moved to make US sports betting legalisation a reality five years ago.
US Sports Betting Legalisation Study
The Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, which effectively paved the way for states to enact votes of their own and incorporate legal gambling into law.
According to AGA’s newly-published study, the move by the federal government has been largely viewed as an overwhelming success, with 85% believing it was the correct decision compared to 2019’s polling of 63%.
There is also a heavy majority support for outright legalisation, with as many as 77% respondents behind legal sports betting in their given state.
As of early 2023, 33 states, plus the District of Columbia, have voted to legalise in the States with Kansas, Maine, and Massachusetts the latest to join the sports betting revolution.
2023 is slated to be another year of state legalisation, with fresh votes being touted for Florida, California, Alabama and Vermont to name a few.
AGA president and CEO Bill Miller said: “American adults have always enjoyed betting on sports, and overwhelmingly value the ability to bring their action into a legal market, close to home.
“The rapid spread of legal sports betting – fuelled by regulated, responsible entities – has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly that PASPA [Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act] perpetuated.”
The study also uncovered a positive upturn in consumer education – 78% of US bettors place all or most of their bets through legal operators whereas just 44% of participants said they used regulated companies four years ago.
Despite this, of the bettors who largely used illegal sites to place their sports bets, 70% believed that they were doing so using legal means.
