You might think that a pandemic will slow non-essential things down, but sports was not affected at all, and actually is on a steady rise. Studies show that a good amount of Americans have turned to gambling during these uncertain times. And, as many sporting events have resumed, this year has definitely been a defining year for the American gambling scene.
So what made top-of-the charts, in terms of gambling? Well, we can kindly thank the 2021 Superbowl and even the NCAA March Madness for that. If we have to put a price on it, we’d definitely say that compared to 2020, 2021 has already brought in millions, and billions of dollars in sports revenue.
When Superbowl season is approaching, even the people who are not your 'traditional' gamblers will place a bet or two. New online casino and sports betting sites make sure to craft some good offers that tend to lure gamblers in. And indeed they did, as this year’s Super Bowl LV secured a whopping $4.3 billion in bets, surpassing and other sporting event betting in American history. The American Gaming Associating has stated that 7.6 million people placed bets on the much-awaited sporting event, and the bets were placed at sports betting outlets FanDuel and DraftKings. Compared to the disastrous year that 2020 was, a solid 63% increase in betting has been recorded.
On the other hand, March Madness, which is a very sought-after basketball event held every March, also brought in some solid bets. An estimate of 47 million Americans placed a bet or two on March Madness; if we compare the figures for event betting since 2019, the event did indeed triple in the number of bets being registered and placed.
Many have questioned what the reason is as to why this sudden growth in sports betting? For starters, there is no physical place that gamblers can go to bet. Forget the night at the casino, or the day at the corner gambling establishment. With the coronavirus still looming around and leaving a path of destruction, many countries were still in lockdown or going into lockdown. This means that many non-essential shops, including land-based casinos and betting shops, have been closed. There is only one option for the gambler, and that is to seek the gambling thrills online. Since the pandemic landed, new online casinos and online sports betting sites have become the new trend, the new go-to place if you want to bet. And why not? Players registering at online casinos will also land a bonus when registering for the first time, so it is always a win-win situation.
Another important factor to consider is the fact that many states have legalized sports gambling and allow gamblers to place a bet safely from their home state. There is no more need to login, register and place a bet at offshore sites, as some states have drafted laws and made it possible for gamblers to bet legally from the US. Many operators have set up home in these new states that have legalized betting, and the rest is history. With many people forced to stay at home, there is nothing better to do than login to new online casinos, register, scoop some bonuses and place some bets.
In 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States imposed new rules when it comes to gambling on football matches, baseball, basketball and more sports. This was a paramount time for many sports operators and also new online casinos, as they hoped that many states would finally go back to the drawing board and legalize betting in their home states. And so they did! Laws on gambling were passed in Arkansas, New Hampshire and also Indiana. The home town lawmakers all said yes to gambling and spent 2019 brainstorming launching new laws and regulations. Now that we find ourselves in 2021, if we look at the global US market, a total of 25 states have introduced gambling while another 16 are considering introducing new laws, including the states of California, Massachusetts and also Ohio. This means that by the end of this year, another explosion of bets is expected to take place. [For UK options, consider sitesnotongamstop.net.]
Back in the days, if you happened to be in the United States, gambling was only allowed in the state of Nevada. Nowadays, over 100 million people live in the United States where gambling is legal and available at your fingertips. This is the shift in ideology on gambling that the US has made, and it has only been 3 years.
As gambling takes a more legal position in the US, new operators are setting up shop, and others are looking into laws on how to open their site. In the meantime, there are two main pillars if you want to sports gamble in the US: DraftKings and FanDuel - both have some of the biggest sports betting platforms and are favorite sites for players seeking a sports bet. With the stoppage of sporting events throughout most of 2020, DraftKings has still managed to generate a massive 614 Million Dollar in revenue, and this year the figures are already looking bright, topping the billion dollars in bets. On the other hand, the main competition, Fan Duel, has recorded a betting revenue in stakes of 896 Million, an estimate of 81% uplift from the previous year’s figures. What will 2021 hold for Fan Duel? Billions of course!
With both the Super Bowl weekend now behind us and also March Madness under wraps, we estimate chart-topping figures for the year-end 2021. FanDuel’s mobile sports betting app was the third most downloaded application in 2021, behind Robinhood and also TikTok. This goes to show that the Americans love to post the odd video on TikTok, but also love to place a sports bet, especially when sporting events such as the Super Bowl LV come along.
Also, sports leagues want a portion of the cake, and the new trend is for leagues to sell official team data to betting companies. For example, the NBA is the league that everyone follows in the US, and they generated a 250 Million deal with SportsRadar to capitalizing on the US gaming boom. With more states offering and legalizing gambling, we are set to see these figures top the millions in the coming months and years.
Just like anything in life, there are pro and cons to everything, and gambling in the US has been receiving mixed reviews lately. As more states move towards a legal betting setup, many people are questioning if the legality of gambling will bring in more gambling addictions. The truth is that yes, with gambling being more available, there is a better chance that gambling addictions can form. Yet, there is a consensus that KYC and Responsible Gambling should be promoted at all costs. Gambling institutions are now working together to have a national campaign, where bettors would need to set a budget.
Sports betting sites and also new online casinos are also making sure they play a role in promoting safe gambling. Many sites have teamed up with software companies to offer the facility for gamblers to ban themselves from a particular online gambling site. Once a gambler bans himself from the brand, it would see a block across all devices, and it is almost impossible to be granted access again. The software also bans a good number of licensed and unlicensed gambling sites that have the tendency to foreshadow gambling addictions as a whole.
As the campaign to offer safe gambling spreads across the US, gamblers were interviewed on the record, and many have claimed that budgeting is essential. Some have set a maximum of $200 budget per month, and they would only bet more if substantial winnings are landed during the month. Others have set a lower budget, some as low as $50 per month in terms of maximum wagers placed. One gambler admitted that throughout 2020 he had placed a total of $2,000 dollars and at the end of the year, he walked away with wins of $20,000. When asked about the trick to his winnings, the gambler admitted that he will never just place a bet for the sake of things, he will research, look at previous bets strategies and also read gambling guides and odds. The gambler continued that, only if one is attentive and budgets are set, and some groundwork is done, is it good to bet.
In the meantime, as more states legalize gambling, new online casinos are debuting in the US, making the market a more promising and a steeper one. What does the future look like for gambling in the US? Promising, growth and generating massive revenues, you just wait and see.
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