AGA also reported that 22.7 million Americans were expected to bet on the Super Bowl
A survey released last week by the American Gaming Association shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans—63 percent—support legal, regulated sports betting in the wake of the May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the sports wagering ban in the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.
In the months since the Supreme Court deemed PASPA unconstitutional, 10 states and the District of Columbia have passed bills authorizing legal sports betting, and 15 states have authorized sports betting. An additional 12 states are likely to consider sports betting legislation in 2019.
At a conference call announcing the survey, Sara Slane, senior vice president of the AGA, said she expects the vast majority of states un the U.S. authorizing sports betting in the coming years—quipping that only Utah will probably be the exception.
In addition to their opinions on legal sports betting in general, two-thirds of those surveyed (66 percent) in the AGA study agree that regulation and oversight of gaming should be left to those jurisdictions.
In other findings, the survey shows little public support for professional sports leagues taking a share of sports betting revenue by getting a cut of the amount wagered on sports. Only 23 percent of Americans believe that the leagues should collect a fee from the amount wagered on sports, while 55 percent oppose.
During the conference call, Slane commented that AG officials are “delighted” to see the private agreements on revenue and game data between leagues and private operators such as MGM, noting that it follows the AGA’s long-held position that such revenue sharing should be accomplished through agreements between private entities such as these—rather than being required by law.
“The results of this research are overwhelmingly clear: consumers want legal sports betting, they believe it should be regulated by state and tribal governments and they don’t think the leagues should get a cut,” Slane said in a release announcing the survey results. “This weekend, 23 million Americans will wager a staggering $6 billion on the Super Bowl. To put that in perspective, Americans will bet around the same amount on this one event as they bet legally in all of 2018.
“However, Americans will continue to bet illegally without access to safe, regulated alternatives. With sports betting legislation flooding state capitals across the country, legislators can pursue these opportunities knowing they have the support of their constituents. AGA will continue to advocate for the inclusion of sensible gaming policies wherever it is being considered, including consumer protections and reasonable tax rates that enable the legal, regulated market to compete with illegal bookies and offshore operators.”
Slane also briefly addressed the recent reversal by the U.S. Department of Justice on the scope of the federal Wire Act and its possible effect on mobile wagering. She said the decision has not slowed the march of state lawmakers considering sports betting bills, and noted that at least half of those bills have provisions for mobile betting.
In separate research reported last week, the AGA estimated that roughly 22.7 million Americans were expected to wager on Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams—the vast majority of an estimated $6 billion bet illegally.
“More Americans than ever before will be able to place their bets with legal sports books, generating valuable tax revenue for state, local and tribal governments and increasing fan engagement with the game,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said.
However, the results of a survey conducted by Morning Consult for the AGA signals there is still a viable “dangerous, illegal sports betting market” in the U.S.
Miller, who took over as the head of the AGA earlier this month, said the survey results show efforts are still needed to expand legal sports wagering into additional states.
“It is more important than ever for jurisdictions to enact sound policies that provide a safe, legal alternative with protections for the nearly 23 million Americans who will place a bet on the big game,” Miller said.
Last year in Nevada, Super Bowl LII attracted a record $158.5 million in wagers on the game and hundreds of proposition bets, according to the Gaming Control Board. Sports book operators are convinced that gambling on Super Bowl LIII in Nevada will exceed 2018’s numbers. According to the gaming board, wagering in Nevada on the Super Bowl has increased in nine out of the last 10 years.
VSiN is projecting the total amount of money wagered on the Super Bowl nationwide legally will double from last year, to around $320 million, including Nevada’s total along with the seven new sports betting states.
In September, the AGA released a study by Nielson Sports showing the NFL’s annual revenue could increase by as much as $2.3 billion annually from legalized sports betting, largely due to increased fan engagement.
Sports betting stakeholders are as optimistic as the AG.
We expect the Super Bowl to be our single biggest day in the company’s history,” Mike Raffensperger, the chief marketing officer for betting platform FanDuel, told the Cheddar news site. “We have been incredibly impressed and frankly our expectations have been exceeded in New Jersey in terms of the volume and the customer activity.”
