Sports Betting Surge Expected This NFL Season

Thursday night’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off a sports betting season unlike any in NFL history.

The American Gaming Association estimates that a record 45.2 million Americans will bet on the upcoming NFL season, up 36% from last year. 

The AGA also found that 25% of NFL fans are more excited for this season than previous ones, up from 18% last year. 

• The AGA predicts that online sports betting will grow 73% from last year to 19.5 million participants.
• People placing bets at physical casinos will increase 58% from 2020 to 10.5 million, according to the survey.

The league has opened the doors to gambling advertising and media, with betting lines set to appear on the NFL Network’s ticker and up to six sports betting commercials per broadcast. 

CBS’ ad revenue for regular-season NFL broadcasts grew 15.2% year-over-year to $609 million, with the growth largely attributed to sportsbooks.

The league established Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel as sportsbook partners in April with separate five-year deals collectively worth close to $1 billion. It approved FOX Bet, MGM, PointsBet, and WynnBet as sportsbook operators in August.

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., now allow sports betting, up from 18 at the start of last season. New York will allow mobile sports betting beginning in 2022.

Editor’s note: DraftKings is an FOS partner.