Once upon a time, someone residing in the US and wanting to bet on sports had three options; move to Las Vegas, wager through an illegal bookmaker, or take a chance on one of the many offshore sportsbooks.
That’s all changed since the famous 2018 PASPA ruling making gambling on sports a state-by-state matter.
Sports betting in Illinois has exploded ever since with over $18 billion in wagers, and a new Ipsos poll suggests young white males are the main contributors.
Betting Demographic Mostly Males
Ipsos shared the results of their recent study–seven out of 10 sports bettors were male, and 39% of those male bettors were under 35. 51% of those males identified as white, and 44% of those claimed to earn at least $100K annually.
Graphic courtesy of Ipsos.com
These numbers do make sense. Young American males are usually heavily involved in the sports world, are usually better informed, and don’t usually have financial responsibilities such as parental obligations, mortgages, and families occupying their time and money.
Young, wealthier white males generally play seasonal or Daily Fantasy Sports leagues, go to sports bars, and attend more live sporting events than their less wealthy counterparts–69% of sports bettors polled agreed those factors made the game more interesting to watch if they were able to wager on the contest.
Low Income Earners Betting Less
The Ipsos poll also revealed that just 16% of males betting on sports are black, and Americans considered low-income earners ($50-100K) generally bet less than their more affluent peers.
This demographic doesn’t have the disposable income as some of their wealthier peers but makes wagers once a month or less (73%) – one in five bets 2-3 times a month or more, and only 5% bet several times per week.
Popularity of Sports Betting by Sport
NFL football is king with white males ages 21-35, and 59% of the men polled were betting on the NFL. Other popular leagues and sports young white males bet include;
Graphic courtesy of Ipsos.com
These young white males are a large part of the $80 billion in legal wagers made in 2022, and Illinois bettors can stake their beloved Chicago Bears and the above numbers do indeed suggest Land of Lincoln bettors will be backing their Bears in 2023.
