The American Gaming Association (AGA) expects that legal U.S. sportsbooks will take $35 billion in wagers on the upcoming NFL season.
After AGA analysis estimated that legal wagering on last year’s NFL season reached $26.7 billion, the association is forecasting a 31% increase this time around.
That will be boosted by the fact that Maine, North Carolina and Vermont have all launched regulated sports betting since this time last year. North Carolinians can legally bet online on the home-state Carolina Panthers in NFL action for the first time, while Maine and Vermont will be able to wager on the nearby New England Patriots and the rest of the league after this week’s kickoff.
The AGA also reiterated that it and its members are committed to working with the NFL and all stakeholders to ensure a safe gambling environment. Data gleaned from a Kantar survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,000 registered voters found that 88% of sports bettors say the legal industry is committed to responsible gaming and combatting problem gambling and 85% agree with the effectiveness of responsible gaming programs.
“With the excitement of another NFL season upon us, Americans are placing their bets with the confidence that the legal sports betting market is prioritizing consumer protection and responsibility,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “As the season unfolds, the AGA and our members remain dedicated to working with leagues, regulators and other stakeholders to ensure fans have the knowledge and tools to keep sports betting a safe, fun part of the gameday experience.”
However, new research from Optimove found that around two-thirds of NFL bettors admitted they bet more on football last season than they could afford or wanted to lose, up more than 20 percentage points from last year’s mark of 45%.
All eyes on NFL season for operators
The start of a new NFL season is typically one of the highest-traffic and strongest acquisition periods of any year for regulated sportsbooks. Operators tend to refresh both their offerings and their marketing in time for the big kickoff. It’s been no different this year.
Multiple operators have beefed up or broadly overhauled their sports betting product in recent weeks with specific eyes on the new NFL season, as well as stepping up their marketing game.
FanDuel, for instance, has revamped its app design and added more bets to its same-game parlay (SGP) offering. As well as the product update, it has partnered with YouTube to provide an exclusive offer that grants new users who place a $5 bet a three-week trial to watch out-of-market NFL games with Sunday Ticket.
DraftKings has boosted its wagering markets by offering things such as “no touchdown” prop bet this season and has also enticed veteran sports analyst Trey Wingo away from Caesars to host DraftKings Network’s new Pregame PowerUp show that will air twice a week before NFL primetime games.
Rush Street Interactive has looked to boost customer retention and engagement by revamping its iRush Rewards program for customers using its BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse online platforms. BetMGM has unveiled a range of new markets powered by Angstrom, Entain’s sports modeling and analytics company, and said it now offers nearly 1,000 futures markets and more than 450 ways to bet on each NFL game.
On the marketing side, BetMGM announced on Tuesday it is premiering a new football season TV commercial series featuring Jamie Foxx that will air nationwide in prime time. That came a few days after bet365 announced a new Breaking News advertising campaign and Fanatics Sportsbook unveiled its own new TV campaign as a cornerstone of a new marketing drive.
The marketing push is understandable given that Optimove’s research found that more than four in 10 respondents (42%) said promotions like free bets are the main reason for choosing a sportsbook to bet on the NFL. Optimove also found that people who bet on the NFL like to use multiple apps to do so; 68% use two or more betting sites per week, while the percentage who use just one site fell from 46% to 32%.
