Sports betting was first legalized in the US in the state of New Jersey in 2018. Since then, interest in sports betting in the US has increased over the last couple of years. According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites, fans of Major League Soccer are the most likely to gamble if sports betting was made legal in their state, with 53% indicating that they are ‘very interested.’
More Than Half Of MLS and PGA Tour Fans ‘Very Interested’ in Sports Betting If It Was Legal
In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that the federal ban on sports betting in New Jersey violated citizen’s rights and thus sports betting became legal again in the state. Since then the industry has slowly grown in influence as more states legalized sports betting and a few more states are on their way to legalization.
A recent survey by data company Nielsen showed that Major League Soccer (MLS) fans are the most interested in sports betting should it be made legal in their state of residence. 53% of MLS fans indicated that they would be ‘very interested’ in sports betting if it was made legal in their state while an additional 39% said they were ‘somewhat interested.’
Fans of the PGA tour are similarly interested with 52% saying they are very interested and an additional 39% saying they are somewhat interested. Notably, fans of the most popular leagues in America such as the NBA, MLB and the NFL posted the lowest interest out of sports fans in the US. The NFL posted the lowest interest with only 37% saying they are very interested and 31% saying they are somewhat interested.
Rex Pascual, sports editor at Safe Betting Sites, commented:
“Sports betting is still in its infancy in the US which presents enormous growth opportunities to gaming operators. But operators must overcome challenges that come with any new market such as identifying the right targets and audiences. The popularity of sports betting among fans of MLS and the PGA Tour is probably fuelled by the two sports’ connection as European sports where sports betting has existed as an industry for some time.
In this respect, gaming operators in the US must figure out a way to have a stronger influence among America’s most popular leagues if it were to prosper to the same level as sports betting in markets such as the UK.”
