The new NFL season is projected to break all current betting records according to the American Gaming Association (AGA).
The AGA projects that some 42.5 million Americans will place a bet on professional football this season, a 36% increase from last season.
The increase in expected numbers is owed to both the increasing availability of legal sports betting in the US and the highest recorded fan enthusiasm for the start of the new NFL season.
US Sports Betting on the Rise
One of the main drivers for the increase is the growing number of states offering sports betting. While fans in 18 states and the District of Columbia (DC) had access to legal sports betting at the start of the 2020 season, that number has increased to 26 states plus DC at the start of the 2021 season.
The AGA said it expects five additional states, including Arizona, South Dakota and Washington state, are likely to offer sports betting by the end of the 2021 NFL season.
Up to 19.5 million Americans are expected to bet on the NFL with online bookmakers, which was not a possibility for most of them just a few years ago. That represents a 73% increase from 2020, according to the AGA.
Additionally, 21.7 million Americans are likely to bet on the NFL casually with their friends, a year-to-year increase of 31% and an indicator that overall interest and enthusiasm is on the rise.
According to the AGA, 25% of Americans said they are more excited about the upcoming season compared to previous seasons. By comparison, only 18% of fans were excited about the 2020 season kicking off.
“The enthusiasm of bettors for the upcoming NFL season highlights the remarkable growth of the industry over the past three years,” said Bill Miller, CEO of the AGA.
The AGA added that the popularity of fantasy football contests is also on the rise, with 14.6 million participants expected for various fantasy leagues and competitions this season, an increase of 69% compared to last season.
The one parameter that is likely to see a slower growth is betting with illegal bookies. “When the 2021 NFL season begins, more than 111 million Americans will be able to wager safely with regulated sportsbooks in their home states rather than with the predatory illegal market,” Miller said.
Still, the AGA projects that 6.7 million people will place a bet with a bookie, up 13% from 2020.
The survey also concluded that 44% of all Americans, and more than 60% of all NFL fans, believe that being able to bet on the NFL at the stadiums will add entertainment value to the actual events, making the introduction of legal in-venue betting the right choice.
Survey Methodology, Regional Findings
The survey was conducted by Morning Consult, a polling firm, on behalf of the AGA. The survey was conducted online from August 25 to 30. The AGA said a national sample of 2,200 American adults were polled. The survey’s results have a margin of error of plus/minus 2 percent.
According to the survey, 21% of NFL fans in the northeastern US are most interested in betting on the NFL this year. Fans in the West, Midwest and South were slightly less interested in betting, with fans in those regions polling at 18%, 17% and 15% enthusiasm, respectively.
The AGA said the Kansas City Chiefs are the most popular pick to win Super Bowl LVI, with support of 15% of expected bettors. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys, the two teams that will square off to start the NFL season on Thursday, have been picked to win it all by 11% and 7% of bettors, respectively.
