The NFL regular season returns next week and the American Gaming Association (AGA) expects the league to draw record betting interest in markets across the country.
According to data provided by the AGA, an estimated $30 billion is expected to be wagered throughout the 2025 NFL season, a roughly 8.5% increase compared to last season.
In 2024, sports fans in the U.S. dished out approximately $27.6 billion betting on the NFL.
“This season, fans have more ways than ever to responsibly engage with the game they love,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Legal sports betting enhances the fun and friendly competition that make NFL games and traditions even more special.”
The AGA is preparing for a new NFL season by encouraging bettors to wager responsibility with the deployment of its national Have a Game Plan. Bet Responsibly campaign. The association is sharing its campaign in the 38 states and Washington, D.C., where sports betting is legal in America. The campaign encourages bettors to set budgets, keep sports betting as a form of entertainment, use legal platforms and refrain from athlete abuse.
AGA data excludes Missouri’s looming launch
The AGA’s estimates include future bets and Super Bowl LX in February 2026, but don’t consider Missouri’s pending launch of online sports betting in December. On Dec. 1, online wagering is expected to go live, providing sports fans in the Show-Me State with the opportunity to wager on the last few games of the NFL regular season and the playoffs.
Missouri will be home to some of the largest operators in the country, with DraftKings and Circa Sports being awarded the state’s two untethered wagering licenses earlier this month. Circa Sports beat out FanDuel for the untethered license, requiring FanDuel to secure a market access deal with MLS franchise St. Louis CITY SC to enter Missouri.
BetMGM, bet365 and Fanatics also announced market access agreements in Missouri, while Underdog and ESPN Bet applied for licenses but have yet to reveal their partners.
Caesars and Bally’s could explore an entry by operating land-based casinos in the state. Missouri can award up to 14 online sports betting licenses and 19 retail licenses.
NFL extends official data rights deal
Operators across the U.S. will access official NFL data this season from Genius Sports after the London-based sports data provider secured a multiyear extension with the NFL.
The deal keeps Genius Sports as the exclusive distributor of official NFL data to operators and media brands after first partnering with the league in 2021. That year, Genius Sports agreed to a six-year, $120 million deal to be the exclusive distributor of NFL data.
Sportradar was the NFL’s previous data distributor, paying the league $20 million annually. Genius Sports’ current extension with the NFL runs through to the Super Bowl in 2030.
