Thursday, November 12, 2026

Football Bets Could Top $20B in Upcoming Season

  • Football betting could reach $20 billion this season between the NFL and college football according to an industry analyst.
  • The season could push large sports betting companies toward profitability.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Want more from Front Office Sports
in your search results?

Add Front Office Sports on Google

With sports betting becoming legal or more accessible in new states, there is little doubt that the 2021 football season will set a record for wagers placed. 

Bettors could place over $20 billion in football-related wagers this season, resulting in $1.5 billion in revenue for sportsbooks, according to industry analyst PlayUSA.

  • PlayUSA projects at least $12 billion in NFL-related bets, excluding parlay bets, yielding at least $800 million in sportsbook revenue.
  • It also predicts at least $8 billion in non-parlay college football bets, bringing $550 million to sportsbooks.
  • The Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl are partnering with Caesars Entertainment this year as college football warms to sports betting. The NFL has deals with most major American sportsbooks.

Virginia and Michigan opened to sports betting in January, Arizona is expected to launch sports betting in September, and mobile betting kicks off in New York at the start of 2022.

Football betting could push major sportsbooks toward profitability. 

DraftKings lost $305.5 million in the second quarter, despite revenue nearly tripling year-over-year. Caesars’ sports betting and online gaming division lost $22 million in Q2. FanDuel parent Flutter Entertainment doesn’t expect its U.S. division to turn a profit until 2023.

Editor’s note: DraftKings is an FOS partner.

Download the FOS App

The business of sports, in your pocket.

QR code to download the app

Scan the QR code to get the app now.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mike Tomlin Knows Coaching Talk Is ‘Going to Come Up’ Soon

The ex-Steelers coach is “enjoying” his NBC Sports role.
Nov 8, 2026; Madrid, ESP; A general overall view of the 2026 NFL Madrid Game at an empty Bernabeu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NFL Network’s Europe Games Average a Record 6.9M in First ESPN Season

NFL Network games this season also stream on the ESPN app.
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees on the field prior to the start of a week 6 NFL football game between New York Giants and New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Exclusive

Drew Brees Wants to Succeed Troy Aikman on Monday Night Football

Greg Olsen and Tony Romo are other potential candidates.
West Wind Mahjong

Mahjong Mania Has Come for College Sports

Bespoke retailers are cashing in with officially licensed mahjong sets.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

11/11/26 – 24-Team CFP Fallout, Brees Eyes ‘MNF,’ Sportsbooks Get Crushed

0:00

Featured Today

Can MLS Capitalize on Son-Mania?

Korea and Tottenham fans alike have flocked to LAFC’s away matches.
Pickering High School North
November 4, 2026

High School Athletic Directors Say They’re Running ‘Mini Colleges’

ADs are managing a growing list of demands from athletes and parents.
October 30, 2026

How Injuries Hit Pro Marathoners in the Wallet

Staying healthy can get expensive—quickly.
Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 The necklace of a Jacksonville Jaguars fan outside the stadium before the match
October 21, 2026

Die-Hard Sports Fandom Has Reached the Afterlife

Will fans pay $6,000 to memorialize their team loyalty?
October 20, 2026

Why Europe Is Pumping Out NBA Superstars

The NBA and NCAA have an increasingly European flavor.
Polymarket logo appears in this illustration taken April 22, 2026.

Polymarket Cuts Jobs Amid Push to ‘Professionalize’

“We’ve reorganized to set the company up for its next phase of growth.”
The ESPN logo is seen on an electronic display in Times Square in New York City, U.S., August 23, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Exclusive
November 6, 2026

ESPN Warns Talent About Insider Betting on Prediction Markets

The guidelines were sent to on-camera talent at the end of October.
Kalshi's logo is displayed on a smartphone placed on a reflective surface onto which a betting curve is projected in Creteil, France, on March 9, 2026, during a major scandal and a $54 million lawsuit concerning bets related to recent strikes in Iran. (Photo by Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE
November 9, 2026

Kalshi’s Tribal Deal Faces Legal Challenge Amid Leadership Dispute

“We expect the case to be dismissed,” one of the defendants told FOS.
Sponsored

How Jeremy Bloom Is Reinventing the X Games

Jeremy Bloom discusses transforming the X Games into a global brand.
First at FOS
November 6, 2026

DraftKings Cut More Jobs Ahead of Q3 Earnings

It’s at least the third round of layoffs for DraftKings this year.
Fanduel logo appears in this illustration taken April 22, 2026.
November 4, 2026

FanDuel’s U.S. Revenue Is Bright Spot As Overall Earnings Miss

Flutter Entertainment cut its full-year revenue guidance by $300 million.
Fanduel logo appears in this illustration taken April 22, 2026.
Exclusive
November 2, 2026

FanDuel Interim CEO Set to Take Job Permanently

The new CEO has been with FanDuel for nearly 12 years.
CEO of Kalshi Tarek Mansour speaks during the FIA Global Cleared Markets Conference Boca 2026, in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S., March 10, 2026.
October 29, 2026

Utah Escalates Kalshi Fight With Felony Charges

The prediction-market platform and its two cofounders were charged.