Six charts show sports betting’s digital explosion with NFL season about to kick off – USA TODAY

When Tom Brady threwhis first pass in the NFL's opening game Thursday night, someone in Arizona probablybet on which Tampa Bay Buccaneercaughtit.

This week is the first time Arizonians couldbetonline betting on everything from who would winto the minute details of the game. The state joins 22 others and the District of Columbiawhere sports betting is legal.

Connecticut, Maryland and Louisiana might not be far behind as the states and the gambling industry capitalize on the NFL's popularity to entice more Americans to wager online.

"NFL is the 800-pound gorilla for sports betting and for daily fantasy sports. Its the one sport where youll see a lot of casual sports betters come out," said Kevin Hennessy, director of publicity for FanDuel Group.

"With nearly half of all U.S. states now live, this NFL season will be big for sports betting operators," said Andre Zammit, head of trading at Tipico. "Legal betting has reached its mainstream tipping point, with every sportscast integrating statistics and odds into their commentary."

Gannett, the parent company of USA TODAY, has a partnership with Tipico, one of the top sports betting companies worldwide.

And the interest in all kinds ofonline sports betting continues to grow.

"Starting in mid-August, the volume of bets has boosted significantly," Zammit said."In years past, pre-season NFL games didnt attract much interest ..., but this year we saw a real spike, and turnover has grown week on week through Labor Day with NCAA football action."

Americans have wagered more than $65 billion onsports, according Legal Sports Report, since 2018 when the Supreme Court sided with New Jersey's challenge toNevada's monopoly on sports betting.

In the three years since, dozens of legislatures have opened the doors tosports betting in their states.

New Jersey has since surpassed Nevada as the state with the most sports bets monthly.In June, sports bets in Nevada represented just 15% of the $3.68 billionwagered in the U.S., according to Legal Sports Reports.

And much of the money Americans wagered on sports in June was bet online.

While there are manyonline sports books vying for Americans' online gambling dollars,three companies, according to VIXIO GamblingCompliance,handle more than 80% of the online sports betting in the U.S. That includesFanDuelwith nearly double the market share of No. 2 DraftKings.

Goldman Sachs projects that online sports betting could grow 40% annually over the next decade, and investors have taken note. The BETZ exchange-traded fund, which includes several online gaming companies, has grown more than twice as fast as theS&P 500 since the ETF's inception in June 2020.

"I definitelyview it as a cultural shift," said Will Hershey CEO of Roundhill Investments, a SEC-registered investment advisor and sponsorof the BETZ ETF.

"This feels like the first year since the repeal of PASPA (2018) that betting is no longer taboo," said Hershey. "After all, even Disney-owned ESPN is looking to get involved."

Moregovernors signsports-betting legislation eachyear, but both Hershey and Hennessy see the growth continuing in early adopter states such as New Jersey.

With that outlook, NFL fans everywhere can brace themselves for an onslaughtof online betting ads throughout the season.

"This year will also mark the first time in history that betting-related advertisements can be run during official NFL broadcasts," Hershey said. "I expect theadvertising dollars to be flowing, reminiscent of the 2015 season when the (daily fantasy sports) commercialsdominated TV."

Repeatedat the end of every one those advertisements will be reminders of the dangers of gambling and where to turn if you think you've gotten in too deep.

Rising rates of gambling addiction area worrisomeprospect of enabling millions more peopleto bet on the NFL each weekend not to mention any other sport.

Not unlike what Robinhood's stock trading app has done for investing, sports betting legalization mayattract younger gamblers. A 2018 Morning Consult study conducted just days after theSupreme Court ruling showed "prospectivegamblers" wereyounger and lower income than current gamblers.

The study stopped short of asking about online betting, but it wouldn't be a stretch to think that mobile app use will skew younger as well.

TheNational Council on Problem Gambling survey raised severalred flags in its 2018 findings, among them:

More than half of younger gamblers had at least one indicator of risky behavior compared to older gamblers.

Sports bettors were at least five times more likely report frequent risky gambling behaviors than other gamblers.

Regardless of the pitfalls, with states such asNew York, California and Texas still awaiting entry into the online gaming market, online sports betting industry looks to be, as Hershey put it "in the early innings."

Published6:43 pm UTC Sep. 9, 2021Updated11:47 am UTC Sep. 12, 2021

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Six charts show sports betting's digital explosion with NFL season about to kick off - USA TODAY