Survey claims 1 in 5 US adults have bet money on sports during the past 12 months

A new survey by Pew Research Center has revealed that around one in five US adults (19%) say they have personally bet money on sports in some way in the last 12 months, whether with friends or family, in person at a casino or other gambling venue, or online with a betting app. 

Despite the growth of commercial sports betting in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that effectively legalized the practice, the most common way that Americans bet on sports is with friends or family, according to the Center’s survey, which was fielded July 5-17 among 6,034 adults. 

Some 15% of adults say they have bet money on sports with friends or family in the last 12 months, such as in a private betting pool, fantasy league or casual bet. Smaller shares say they have bet money on sports in person at a casino, racetrack or betting kiosk in the past year (8%) or that they have done so online with a betting app, sportsbook, or casino (6%). All told, 19% of adults have bet money on sports in at least one of these ways in the past year.

According to the survey, men are more likely than women (24% vs. 15%) to say they have bet on sports in some form in the past year, as are adults under the age of 50 when compared with those 50 and older (22% vs. 17%). The Pew Center said 27% of Black respondents and 24% of Hispanic respondents reported having bet on sports, while 18% of white adults and 10% of Asian-Americans said they had.

There are no significant differences in self-reported sports betting by educational attainment or household income level. 18% of college graduates say they have bet on sports in some way during the past year, as have 20% of non-college graduates. Similar shares of adults in upper-income (22%), middle-income (19%) and lower-income households (19%) say they have bet on sports in the past year.

There is also no significant difference by party affiliation. 21% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they have bet on sports in some way in the last 12 months, as have 19% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

Regarding public awareness of legal sports betting, 56% of adults say they have read or heard a lot (12%) or a little (44%) about the fact that the practice is now allowed in many states in the country, while 44% say they have read or heard nothing at all about it. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, those who are aware of the widespread legalization of sports betting are far more likely to bet on sports. Nearly 46% report having bet on sports in some way in the past year.

While regulated sports betting has created a new revenue stream for many state governments, it has also raised concerns about gambling addiction and other societal harms. Asked how they feel about legalization, a total of 57% of adults say sports wagering regulation is neither a good nor bad thing for society, while 34% consider it to be negative, which makes up for 8% of total acceptance.  

The public is slightly more divided on a separate question about whether the widespread legalization of betting is a good or a bad thing for sports. Around half of Americans say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is neither a good nor bad thing for sports, while a third says it is a bad thing. 

As of May, the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision clearing the way for all 50 U.S. states to offer legal sports betting should they choose to do so, Americans had wagered over $125 billion on sports. As of this month's kickoff to the NFL season, 31 states plus Washington, D.C., offered legal sports betting, while several others are expected to do so as well soon.