What is the Percentage of People Who Regularly Gamble on Sports?

I placed my first sports bet 28 years ago. I remember it vividly. I was sitting at a table at a sports bar waiting for the games to start. The beer and wings were already flowing. I was having a casual conversation about the games when we got onto the Bills at Panthers game. The Bills were now featuring Doug Flutie at QB and the Panthers were 0-6 I believe.

I told my friend that the Bills are going to crush the Panthers and it won’t even be close. He then mentioned to me that the Bills were just 3-point favorites and if I was so sure about it then I should bet on it. He had to explain to me how the spread worked but I got the gist of it pretty quickly. We both threw down a hundred bucks each, the Bills won 30-14 and my career in sports betting had begun. In just three short years from then I would go on to start my first sports picks website.

This was all way back before you could place a sports bet in the United States outside of Las Vegas. We called the local bookie to throw down action. These were interesting times. (see What was Betting Online in the 1990’s Like?) Since those days, sports betting has been legalized and is available almost anywhere in the USA.

The popularity of sports betting has grown tremendously, and you can watch a sporting event without seeing sports betting ads or watch a pre-game show without them mentioning the spread. These topics used to be totally forbidden.

This all brings me to the topic of today’s article. What % of men bet on sports regularly. Also, how many men have placed at least one sports bet?

According to the NYCPG, roughly half of all grown men in America have placed at least one sports bet in their lives. About 46% of men aged 18–49 identify as “active bettors” who regularly use online platforms. Approximately 25% of all men reported betting on sports in some form (online, in-person, or with friends) within the past year.

The overwhelming majority of sports bettors are “casual bettors”. They place a bet here or there and it is rarely for big money. If they are hanging out with their friends on a Saturday night and the big game is on, they may log-in and throw down 50 bucks on a side or total.

With the advent of online betting, both licensed and offshore sportsbooks, access to placing a sports bet is just a few taps away on their smart phone.

The future of sports betting is assured. People love to wager on an outcome. The market is already set and there is still room for growth. But will it continue to grow? That is a topic for another post in the near future.