General Sports Betting Data

2021

• 22% of survey respondents reported making a traditional sports bet in the previous year (NCPG, 2021). Of these survey respondents:
  • 91% reported sports betting with family or friends. (43% making such a bet “often.”)
  • 66% of sports bettors bet on more than one sport. (27% bet on four or more.)
  • 25% of the sports betting population gamble on each of these 3 sports: professional basketball, professional baseball, and college basketball.
• The sports gambling population is (NCPG, 2021):
  • 3x more likely to say they needed to gamble more for the same feeling of excitement compared to the non-sports gambling population.
  • 5x more likely to say they’ve needed to rely on others to pay their debts or bills many times.
  • 7x more likely to have lied to hide their gambling many times.
  • 3x times more likely to have frequently felt restless or irritable when trying to quit or cut down on their gambling.

Sports gambling population is:

• 3x more likely to say they needed to gamble more for the same feeling of excitement compared to the non-sports gambling population (NCPG, 2021).
• 5x more likely to say they’ve needed to rely on others to pay their debts or bills many times (NCPG, 2021).
• 7x more likely to have lied to hide their gambling many times (NCPG, 2021).
• 3x times more likely to have frequently felt restless or irritable when trying to quit or cut down on their gambling (NCPG, 2021).

2019

• 1% of individuals who gamble report experiencing a serious gambling problem at some time in their lives (e.g., gambling disorder), with an additional 2%– 3% having experienced somewhat less severe gambling problems (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 45% of individuals have placed a bet on a sporting event at least once in their lives (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 20% of U.S. adults reported sports betting in the prior 12 months (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 13% of former high school and college athletes from Colorado and Connecticut reported gambling-related problems (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 47% of sports bettors bet with a friend on a sporting event (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

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Sports Betting – (Daily) Fantasy Sports Data

2021

• 17% of the gambling public bet on fantasy sports in the past year (NCPG, 2021).
• 69% of all fantasy sports players bet on professional football (NCPG, 2021).
• 95% of DFS gamblers also engage in other forms of gambling activities are identified as high-risk problem gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 94% of individuals reporting problem gambling were fantasy sports gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 62% of individuals reporting at-risk gambling were fantasy sports gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 4% of New Jersey residents engage in DFS. Of these DFS gamblers 61% are between the ages of 25 and 34, 62% are married or living with a partner, and 46% have a college or postgraduate degree (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 2x the likelihood of reporting at-risk gambling for those who bet more than once a month on DFS (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Participation in fantasy sports was associated with frequent watching of live sports, sports wagering on real games, in-play betting, and identification with a team (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Daily fantasy gamblers believe that their participation is more about skill than chance (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

2017

• Rates of playing in fantasy leagues with an entry fee and prize money in 2016 are similar to what was seen in the 2008 and 2012 surveys (NCAA, 2017).

Sports Betting – Mobile Sports Betting Data

2019

• Online sports bettors and sports fantasy gamblers in particular (and offline-based sports bettors to a lesser degree), perceive their gambling as more determined by their own skills, knowledge, and analysis and less by chance or luck (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
  • This pattern aligns with the common profile that sports gamblers are likely to be highly educated and tech-savvy.
• Online sports gamblers made greater and had higher financial debts sooner than off-line gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Risk of problem gambling was also found to increase with greater in-play live-action betting (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Among those who bet on micro events, 78% were considered problem gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

2017

• NCAA students continue to report engaging in some form of simulated gambling activity via social media sites, videogame consoles or mobile devices (NCAA, 2017).

Sports Betting Esports Betting Data

2021

• 70% of individuals reporting they bet on esports are under the age of 35 (NCPG, 2021).
• 500% increase in esports gambling revenue between 2014 and 2019 (NCPG, 2021).

2021

• 46% of individuals under the age of 35 are sports bettors (NCPG, 2021).
• 32% of individuals between 25 and 34 bet on sports in the past year, in contrast to (NCPG, 2021):
  • 8% of individuals age 65 to 74 bet on sports in the past year.
  • 3% of individuals age 75 and older bet on sports in the past year.

*View Aging/ Older Adult data summary*

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2021

• 33% of Asian Americans participate in sports betting (NCPG, 2021).

*View Asian American data summary*

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2021

• 32% of Blacks participate in sports betting (NCPG, 2021).

*View Black Community data summary*

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2024

• 75% of daily (or almost daily) sports betters engaged in binge drinking (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024).
  • • ♦ This is 4 TIMES more than gamblers who do not engage in sports betting.
• 66% of weekly sports betters engaged in binge drinking (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024).
  • • ♦ This is 3 TIMES more than gamblers who do not engage in sports betting.
• 59% of daily (or almost daily) sports betters engaged in binge drinking (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024).
  • • ♦ This is 2.5 TIMES more than gamblers who do not engage in sports betting.
• Alcohol consumption is higher among sports gamblers, and sports gamblers often use substances while gambling (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024).
• Binge drinking in both men and women was reported at greater frequency among sports wagering individuals compared with non-gamblers and non–sports gamblers (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024).
• Individuals who wager on sports use alcohol in particularly risky ways (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024).

2019

• Sports wagering in private increasing the ease of substance use while gambling, which may negatively impact on decision making (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• There is an increased likelihood of alcohol or illicit drug use while gambling compared with that for non-PGSBs(Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Frequent gamblers report higher rates of psychological distress and mental health issues compared with non-frequent gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

*View Co-Occurring SUD data summary*

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Sports Betting College & Young Adult Data

2023

• 27% of autonomy schools had dealt with a sports wagering problem among their athletes or staff within the past year (NCAA, 2023).
• 25% become aware of any student-athletes on their campus who were harassed (online or in person) by someone with gambling interests (NCAA, 2023).
• 95% have some form of sports wagering education occurring for athletes, coaches and athletics administrators (NCAA, 2023).
• 85% of D1, 50% of D2 and 32% of D3 schools provide education more than once/year to student-athletes (NCAA, 2023).
• 75% of D1, 40% of D2 and 25% of D3 schools provide education more than once/year to their coaches and administrators (NCAA, 2023).
• More schools across all three NCAA divisions are also discussing well-being issues, including gambling addiction, than reported doing so in a similar NCAA survey conducted in 2019 (NCAA, 2023).
• Many schools, especially those in DI, send student-athletes and athletics department personnel reminder texts or emails prior to big sporting events (e.g., March Madness, Super Bowl, football bowl games) (NCAA, 2023).
• Regardless, sports wagering falls at the bottom of the importance list (NCAA, 2023).
  • Academic eligibility, drug testing, sexual violence and mental health are the priorities.

2019

• 75%–80% of college students report having gambled in general within the past year (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 5x more likely to report at least 1 DSM-5 criteria for problem gambling among college students who engaged in fantasy sports (whether or not for money) (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 7% to 15% (based on different studies) are the rates of college student athletes reporting problem or disordered gambling, which is higher than the general population (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 49% of intramural and 31 % of Division I athletes play fantasy sports for money (compared with 13% of non-athletes (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• They have an increased likelihood of substance use (alcohol and drugs) (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

2017

• 55% of NCAA men in the 2016 study reported gambling for money within the past year (NCAA, 2017).
• 35% of NCAA men (13% of NCAA women) gamblers have ever lost more than $50 in a day (NCAA, 2017).
• 12% of NCAA men (31% of NCAA women) first gambled in college (NCAA, 2017).

Sports wagering in violation of NCAA sports wagering bylaws:

• 24% of NCAA men (5% of NCAA women) reported violating NCAA bylaws within the previous year by wagering on sports for money (NCAA, 2017).
  • 1/3 of NCAA men (15% of NCAA women) who reported wagering on sports in the 2016 survey placed bets electronically.
  • 65% of NCAA men (44% of NCAA women) who bet on sports in the past year bet on the NFL (top sports wagering target for both men and women).
  • 20% of NCAA men (2% of NCAA women) in the 2016 study reported having played in fantasy leagues with an entry fee and prize money during the past year (similar to what was seen in the 2008 and 2012 surveys).
  • 11% of NCAA men (2% NCAA women) surveyed in 2016 said they had recently played daily or weekly online fantasy sports contests for money (these participants overlapped substantially with those who reported playing season-long fantasy games).
  • 76% of NCAA men (82% of NCAA women) are aware of the sports wagering rules in Division I (vs 68% of NCAA men and 64% of NCAA women in Division III).
• More than 25% of NCAA student-athletes are uncomfortable that people bet on college sports (NCAA, 2017).
• More than 50% of NCAA student-athletes do not think gambling entities should advertise at college sporting events or during college sports telecasts (NCAA, 2017).
• Participation in most gambling activities decreased from 2008 t0 2016 among all student-athletes despite the expansion of land-based and online gambling opportunities during this time (NCAA, 2017).
• Student-athlete gambling debts are a well-being concern, but also a worry for potential vulnerability to outside gambling influences (NCAA, 2017).

2014

• Every person with a gambling problem tends to seriously impact a dozen other people: boyfriends, girlfriends, peers, teammates, coaches, parents and employers (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).

*View College & Young Adult data summary*

Sports Betting Gender Data

2021

• 28% of men bet on sports versus 12% of women (NCPG, 2021).

2019

• 98% of online problem gambling sports betters (PGSBs) were males (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 32% of those classified as PGSBs were women from a study in Spain (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 13% of male and <1% of female college students gambled on fantasy leagues in the prior year (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 48% of males and 25% of females who were fee-based fantasy sport players were identified as at-risk or pathological gamblers (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Young men in particular are increasingly seeking treatment for difficulties in controlling their online sports betting (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Females consistently report lower levels of sports betting than males do (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

2017

• 54% of NCAA men (31% of NCAA women) think sports wagering is a harmless pastime (NCAA, 2017).
  • These figures are substantially higher among those NCAA men (76%) and NCAA women (61%) who wager on sports.
  • 50% of NCAA men who bet on sports think they can consistently make a lot of money on the activity.
    • They also feel that many others violate NCAA wagering bylaws.
    • 25% believe coaches do not take these rules seriously.
• Women engage in nearly all gambling activities at much lower rates than men (NCAA, 2017).
• For men, although playing cards for money was the most common gambling entry point for current NCAA men, we are increasingly seeing sports wagering being cited as their first gambling activity (NCAA, 2017).
• Division I men’s basketball and football players continue to be seen by gamblers as important potential sources for information that can provide a betting edge (NCAA, 2017).

2014

• 57% of male student-athletes reported gambling in some form during the past year (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).
• 39% of female student-athletes reported gambling in some form during the past year (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).
• 1.9% of males and 0.2 percent of female student-athletes exhibit clinical signs of problem gambling (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).
• 26% of male student-athletes report sports wagering for money despite NCAA prohibiting regulations (8% of these males report gambling on sports at least monthly) (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).
• Males who participate in NCAA golf are approximately 3x more likely to wager on sports (or engage in other gambling behaviors) than other student-athletes (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).

*View Gender Comparison data summary*

*View Women data summary*

Sports Betting Marketing Data

2019

• Market research of sports bettors suggest that the target group for promotional and advertising campaigns is young, single, upwardly mobile, professional, and tech-savvy young men (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Where sport wagering is legal, it is heavily marketed to young males (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• The two largest DFS operators spent nearly $206 million dollars on advertising in 2015 (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• “Sports fandom’’ features (e.g., identification with a team; wagering on real games) increase the vulnerability of participants to the promotions and marketing strategies of fantasy gambling products (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

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2021

• Sports betting has a disproportionate appeal to those at the higher end of the socio-economic scale (by income and educational attainment) (NCPG, 2021).

*View Socioeconomic data summary*

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Sports Betting Treatment Data

2019

• Young men in particular are increasingly seeking treatment for difficulties in controlling their online sports betting (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

Sports Betting Underage Gambling Data

2019

• 37% of a Minnesota adolescents reported prior-year sports gambling (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 30% of a Montreal adolescents reported prior-year sports gambling (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• 7.3% and 5.1% of Ohio high school students reported wagering money on fantasy sports and DFS respectively, at least once in their lifetimes (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).

*View Women data summary*

*View Gender Comparison data summary*

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Sports Betting Risk Factors

• Access and availability with technology (NCAA, 2023) (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014)
• Identifying as male (Grubbs and Kraus, 2024) (NCPG, 2021) (Winters and Derevensky, 2019) (NCAA, 2017)  (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014)
• Identifying as Black or Asian (NCPG, 2021).
• Higher end of the socio-economic scale (NCPG, 2021).
• Being young (young adults to approximately age 35) (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Not married (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• High level of education (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Full-time studying or working full time in managerial or professional occupations (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Earning above average salary (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Engage in poly-gambling (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Have significant others and peers who also favor sports betting (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Frequent user of multiple online accounts with different operators (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Frequent use of multiple types of promotions (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Show more impulsive responses to betting opportunities (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).
• Targeted Marketing  (NCAA, 2017).

Sports Betting Protective Factors

College/ University Protective Factors

• Education for student athletes (NCAA, 2023) (NCAA, 2017)
• Education for compliance administrators (NCAA, 2023).
• Policies prohibiting gambling on campus (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).

Researched Recommendations

• Approach the issue of gambling harm as being among a number of things that can negatively impact student health and well-being to help the message resonate with college campuses (Derevensky and Paskus, 2014).

Screening

• Interventions should target young adult males and consider higher education and income levels (Winters and Derevensky, 2019).