A new poll suggests that most Americans favor having legal sports betting in their states. They are, however, less comfortable with gambling on college games than the pros.
In a March 14-18 phone survey of 1,063 adults conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, six in 10 respondents said they want betting on professional sports to be legal in their state, while only four in 10 feel that way about college athletics.
Support skewed higher in states where betting is already legal—71 percent favoring betting on the pros versus 59 percent in states that haven’t legalized. Those in favor of betting on college games likewise increased in the newly regulated markets but only to 47 percent, although that support was slightly higher (52 percent) among respondents who said they’re “very interested” in sports, while it was slightly lower (38 percent) among those “not very interested.”
Not surprisingly, men were bigger supporters than women of pro betting (65 percent versus 56 percent) and college betting (45 percent versus 40 percent).
Eight states have legalized sports betting since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a longstanding federal ban𑁋the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act𑁋last May. Three more states are preparing to enact regulations in the coming months, and bills have been introduced in another 34. Betting consultants Eilers & Krejcik Gaming expect 39 states will have regulated markets by the end of 2023.
As it stands currently, though, few Americans actually wager, judging from the AP-NORC survey. Only 5 percent who responded said they do so frequently. Eighty-nine percent said they never bet online, 79 percent said they never bet in casinos and 63 percent said they don’t bet among friends or in office pools, although such informal outlets were the most popular among respondents, attracting 36 percent who said they wager occasionally.
The poll was conducted on the eve of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament “March Madness,” as it’s popularly known an annual gambling extravaganza that in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling could eclipse the Super Bowl for wagering volume.
The American Gaming Association, the casino industry’s federal lobbying arm, forecasts 2019 tournament bets to approach $8.5 billion with as many as 47 million people participating.
“During this year’s tournament the first in post-PASPA America sports fans are expected to bet 40 percent more than they did on this year’s Super Bowl,” the trade group said.
Eilers & Krejcik believes the tournament could attract handle exceeding $15 billion annually if sports betting is legalized across the country.
