The 2022 season of the National Football League (NFL), is the American football league in which 32 teams are measured over 18 weeks to qualify for the playoffs and thus be able to reach the long-awaited Super Bowl.
And beyond the sponsors, shows, and all the paraphernalia that revolves around the most convening sport in the United States, betting also plays a fundamental role.
A recent study by the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that a record 46.6 million American adults plan to bet on the current NFL season, which is up 3 percent year over year.
Importantly, since the start of the season coincides with the start of Responsible Gaming Education Month, nine out of ten (92 percent) U.S. sports bettors report knowing responsible gaming tools.
“Sustained interest in NFL betting reflects the continued growth and maturation of legal sports betting across the country,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller, adding that “consumers clearly want legal sports betting options and understand the fundamental responsibility commitments of the regulated industry.”
The betting map
As legalization spreads, bettors move away from bookmakers and closer to regulated options. Of American adults:
23 million will place an online bet this season, up 18 percent from 2021.
6 million will place an in-person bet at a sportsbook this season, up two percent from 2021.
Only 13 percent of NFL bettors say they will use a bookmaker, down two points from last year (15 percent) and five points from 2020 (18 percent).
Bookmaker use is 50 percent higher in states without legalized sports betting.
Currently, more than half (132 million) of U.S. adults can legally gamble in their home state, which equates to 18 million more than last year.
Demonstrating consumer confidence in regulated sportsbooks, nine in ten (89 percent) of sports bettors last year say it’s very or somewhat important that they bet on a legal and regulated bookmaker.
The AGA report highlights that 90 percent of those who gambled in 2021 remember seeing or hearing about responsible gambling in the past year.
Also that 51 percent saw or heard more information about responsible gaming in the past 12 months than in previous years.
“Accountability is the foundation of regulated sports betting in the U.S. and a clear competitive advantage as we continue to build a sustainable market,” Miller added.
Among NFL bettors, the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9 percent) are the most popular picks to win Super Bowl LVII, followed by the Los Angeles Rams (last champions) and Kansas City Chiefs (8 percent) and Dallas Cowboys (7 percent).
The Super Bowl will be played in legal sports betting jurisdiction (Arizona) for the first time in February 2023.
Sports betting is currently legal in 36 states and Washington D.C., with 32 jurisdictions already offering operating markets. While 18 of the 22 states that host NFL teams have legalized sports betting.
Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, and Wisconsin launched new markets since the start of the 2021 NFL season.
Americans have legally wagered more than $50.4 billion on sports in the first seven months of 2022, generating more than $809 million in federal, state and local taxes. AGA’s Have A Game Plan.Bet Responsibly campaign brings together sports betting stakeholders to promote responsible gambling. NFL team partners include the Washington Commanders and New York Jets