Legal sports betting has taken the U.S. by storm. Over the past few years, Americans have gained access to some of the best online sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and more. With the industry growing at a record pace, more Americans are betting than ever before. Below, we’ll break down 28 of the most important sports betting statistics to know in 2023.

Sports betting has become one of the fastest-growing industries in North America and around the world. To help keep residents informed, our data analysts have scoured the web for original research to compile a list of the most important sports betting stats to know in 2023.

Table of Contents

Sports Betting Statistics – Editor’s Choice

  • Americans Wagered $93.73 Billion in 2022, Generating Total Revenue of $7.56 Billion
  • New York Is the First Online Sportsbook to Surpass $25 Billion in Sports Betting Handle
  • Americans Bet Approximately $15.5 billion on March Madness 2023
  • BIA Projects Local Ad Spend for Sports Betting to $2.9 Billion in 2024
  • 77% of American Adults Support Legalization of Sports Betting in their Residence

Sports Betting Revenue & Handle

  • Regulated U.S. Sports Betting Market Generated Total Revenue Of $7.56 Billion In 2022, Up 75% From 2021

Americans legally gambled around $93.73 billion in 2022, up from $57.3 billion in 2021. 18 percent of the national revenue total came from New York, as the state fast became the largest legal sports betting market in the country.

  • New York Is the First Online Sportsbook to Surpass $25 Billion in Sports Betting Handle

New York became the first online sportsbook in the U.S. to surpass $25 billion in sports betting handle, according to the New York State Gaming Commission. After introducing online sports betting in January 2022, it become the quickest legal jurisdiction in the US to hit the milestone of $25 US billion in the handle. In less than 18 months, the New York sports betting market has taken over $25 billion in handle.

  • DraftKings Surpasses FanDuel As No.1 Sportsbook In New York In June 2023

DraftKings became the most popular sportsbook in New York in June 2023, surpassing FanDuel in total sports betting handle for the first time ever, according to the New York State Gaming Commission’s sports betting figures. June marked the first monthly handle for DraftKings in the Empire State. While the handle was only up 3.4% compared to May, it’s an overall increase of 80.8% compared to 2022.

  • Canadian iGaming and Online Sports Betting Contribute CA$1.58B to Canada’s GDP

In its first year, iGaming and online sports betting contributed CA$1.58 billion to Canada’s GDP, created 12,072 full-time jobs, and supported CA$523M in provincial and municipal government revenues, according to a report by Deloitte. In year 1, $906 million was contribution to labor income. Every dollar spent by iGaming operators equates to approximately $1.14 of GDP to the Ontario economy.

  • More Than 50.4 Million American Adults Will Bet $16 Billion on Super Bowl 2023

More than 50.4 million American adults were set to bet approximately $16 billion on Super Bowl 2023, according to an American Gaming Association survey. It’s a 61% increase from 2022 and more than double the amount that will be wagered on the NFL Championship game.

About 30 million American adults planned to place their traditional sports wager online, up 66% YoY while 28 million planned to bet casually with friends apart of pools or squares contests, up 50% from 2022.

  • Americans Bet Approximately $15.5 billion on March Madness 2023

Approximately 68 million American Adults planned to wager $15.5 billion on March Madness 2023, according to the American Gaming Association. It’s about a quarter of American adults that bet on March Madness in 2023.

About 31 million American adults were going to place traditional sports wagers online, at a retail sportsbook, or with a bookie. While 21.5 million plan to bet casually with friends and a total of 56.3 million will participate in the iconic bracket contest in the US.

  • A Total of $35 Billion Was Wagered on World Cup 2022

An estimated total of $35 billion was wagered on World Cup 2022 in Qatar, representing a 65 percent increase from the previous tournament, per Barclays Plc analysts. Only $1.7 billion of bets came from the United States. There was around $1 billion wagered on each knockout game and up to $2.5 billion on the final.

  • Commercial Gaming Revenue increased 8% in April

Total commercial gaming revenue in the USA reached 5.41 billion from January-April 2023, up 7.8 percent YoY, per the American Gaming Association. It’s the 26th consecutive month of annual growth, proving the industry’s resilience and appeal to the public.

  • U.S. Sports Betting Revenue Increased by 69.1% YoY

U.S. sports betting gross gaming revenue increased by 69.1 percent year-over-year from Jan-Apr 2023, according to the American Gaming Association.

The commercial sports betting revenue reached $3.67 billion in the first quarter for the year.

Sports Betting Statistics – Legalization

  • Delaware Was First State to Legalize Sports Betting in 2018

Delaware was the first state to legalize sports betting after the repeal of PASPA in 2018. It was the first state to take advantage of the U.S. Supreme Court decision and legalize sports betting in June 2018. The Governor, John Carney was the first in line to lay money down on a single game bet.

  • 35 Total States Have A Form of Regulated Sports Betting Options

More than 35 states have legislation in place to allow some form of regulated sports betting, either in person or online. Currently, there are 35 states that have legalized sports betting with 10 only offering in-person sportsbooks, 21 different states offering full mobile betting options, and four states limited to mobile betting options.

  • Ontario Was First Province In Canada To Introduce Regulated Sportsbooks

In Canada, Ontario became the first province to allow regulated sportsbooks to join a competitive sports betting market. By April 2022, Ontario was the first province to allow access to multiple operators with online sportsbooks and casinos.

Projected Sports Betting Market Growth

  • iGaming and Regulated Sports Betting Expected to Grow 3x in Ontario

Regulated sports betting and iGaming are expected to grow by 3x over the next ten years, contributing approximately $4.73B to GDP in Ontario by 2031-32. The 10 projections also account for a total contribution of 22,132 jobs, per Deloitte.

  • The Global Sports Betting Market Value Will be $182.12 Billion By 2030

The global sports betting market will be worth $182.12 Billion by 2030, per Grand View Research. With the proliferation of the internet infrastructure and the evolving gambling industry across the world, the sports betting market is expected to be worth $182.13 billion by 2030.

Sports Betting Advertising

  • BIA Projects Local Ad Spend for Sports Betting to $2.9 Billion in 2024

By 2024, BIA projects local ad spend for sports betting to total $2.9 billion, per Forbes. In 2022 the BIA predicted that the local ad spend on sports betting would his $1.8 billion. Two years later, local ad spend is projected to increase by 61%.

  • Negative Posts about Sports Betting Advertising on Social Media Surge by 820%

Negative posts about sports betting advertising on social media surged by 820% between July 2022 and October 2022, according to an Ipsos survey. About 48% of Canadians believe that the amount of sports betting advertising on social media should be reduced.

The increase in advertising resulted in an 820% surge in negative comments.

  • Sports Betting Ads To Increase to $10 Billion by 2028

Sports betting ad sales in the U.S. increase to $10 billion by 2028, according to Doug Johnson of BBTV, per BCBusiness.ca. The sports betting market is booming which has resulted in an increase in ad sales in the US, which has projected about $10 billion will be spent in 2028.

Legal sportsbooks increased their advertising spending by 40% YoY in 2022 to $866 million, per a report from MediaRadar. The average monthly investment was $72 million, up $46 million from 2021.

  • 85% of Americans Support Supreme Court Decision

85 percent of American adults agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to end the federal ban on sports betting, per American Gaming Association.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed in 2018, and since then, American support for legal sports betting has grown significantly.

In 2019, only 63 percent of Americans agreed with the Supreme Court’s decision and that number has grown by 22 percent in the last four years.

  • 77% of American Adults Support Legalization of Sports Betting in their Residence

77 percent of American adults support legalization in their state of residence, according to an American Gaming Association report. There are 35 states that have legalized sports betting since PASPA with growing support from every state each year.

  • 77% of Online Sports Bets are Places Through Regulated Operators

77 percent of online sports bets are now placed through regulated operators, compared to just 44 percent in 2019, per the AGA. With more operators available in every legalized state, sports betting fans have options on where to place their bets. That has taken 33 percent of the market share away from offshore sportsbooks in the last four years.

9 out of 10 bettors who place most of their bets legally intend to stay within the legal market in the next year, per the American Gaming Association. About 90% of bettors will likely be returning to the legal market in the next year.

  • 46% of Bettors on Offshore Sportsbooks Plan To Switch to Regulated Operators

46 percent of bettors that currently bet primarily with unregulated operators plan to transition to regulated operators within the next 12 months, according to the American Gaming Association.

The market is set to change with nearly half of bettors gambling on unregulated operators reporting that they will switch to the legal sportsbooks. In the next year, legal sportsbooks are gaining traction over illegal bookies and offshore operators.

  • 7.9% of Canadian Adults Endorse Sports Betting in 2021

According to the National Institute of Health, 7.9 percent of Canadian adults endorsed gambling on sports in 2021. It seems like sports betting has quickly become one of the most popular forms of gambling in Canada as 7.9% of Canadian adults support sports betting in the last year.

  • 64.5% of Canadians Gambled In the Last Year

As Canada assesses problem gambling and its consequences, a new statistic revealed nearly two-thirds (64.5%) of Canadians aged 15 or older (18.9 million) reported gambling in the past year, according to Statistics Canada. In addition, about 1.6% of past-year gamblers (304,400) individuals were a moderate-to-severe risk of gambling problems.

  • Sports Betting Ads Increase by 4.8% on First Week of 2022 NFL Season

For the first week of the 2022 NFL season, estimated sports betting ads accounted for 4.80% of NFL TV ad impressions and $24 million in ad spend, according to Forbes.

One of the biggest sports in America, sports betting operators target ads during the first week of the NFL season spending $24 million.

  • 47% of Ontario Adults Participate in Some Form of Online Gambling

Ipsos found 47% of Ontario adults reported doing some form of online gambling in the past year per Ipsos. The launch of iGaming in Ontario has been more successful than in any other province. With 47% of Ontario adults doing some form of online gambling compared to 40% across Canada.

  • Bettors Must Win 52.4% of Bets to Be Profitable

While most sports bettors might think winning 50 percent of the time will break them even, that’s simply not the case. That’s because the top sportsbooks take juice or a small fee to take your bet.

In order for a sports bettor to become profitable, they must win 52.4 percent of their bets against the spread.

By covering the spread and winning bets at least 52.4 of the time, bettors can grow their capital over time.

Sources

  1. New York State Gaming Commission
  2. New York State Gaming Commission’s Statewide Monthly Sports Wagering Report
  3. Deloitte: Economic Contribution of Ontario’s Regulated iGaming Market
  4. American Gaming Association Survey: Super Bowl LVII Wagering Estimates
  5. American Gaming Association: 2023 March Madness Wagering Estimates
  6. American Gaming Association: AGA Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker
  7. Grand View Research: Sports Betting Market Size, Share, and Trends Analysis
  8. Forbes: Sports Betting Increases Ad Spend
  9. Ipsos Survey: Canadians on Gambling Ads
  10. BCBusiness.ca: Sports Betting Ads on TV
  11. MediaRadar: Gambling Advertisers Push More Chips into Digital and Traditional Ads
  12. American Gaming Association: Five Year Post-PASPA Consumer Sports betting Trends
  13. National Institute of Health: Changes in Sports Gambling Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada
  14. Statistics Canada: Who Gambles and Who Experiences Gambling Problems in Canada