85% Americans Want End of Sports Ban
Author:
Megan Butler
The people have spoken: the American Gaming Association (AGA) has revealed that 85% of American adults agree that the Supreme Court was correct in striking down the Federal sports betting ban in 2018. Support for the overturning of PASPA is more popular now than ever: 85% of those polled found it to be justified, compared to 63% in 2019.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has found that 85% of American adults agree that the Supreme Court was right in striking down the Federal sports betting ban in 2018. ?MarkThomas/Pixabay
77% of US Betting Consumers Want Sports Betting Legalized in their States
In what is sure to be reassuring news for sports betting operators, the latest research released by the American Gaming Association (AGA) reveals that a whopping 85% of American adults are united in agreement that the Supreme Court was correct in repealing the Federal sports betting ban legislation back in 2018.
It has been approximately five years to the day when the US Supreme Court made the monumental decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Now, five years later, an overwhelming majority of Americans find that the justices were justified in their decision, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA).
The Supreme Court’s ruling unleashed a torrent of state-by-state legalization of sports betting. The decision is now far more popular than it was in the past, with 85% of those polled believing it to be the right course of action, compared to a much lower 63% in 2019. Furthermore, a not negligible amount of US consumers, 77% to be exact, are also calling for legalization in their state of residence.
Rapid Spread of Legalized Sports Betting Has Added to Support for More Widespread Rollout, says AGA
Reflecting on the widespread support for the Federal sports betting ban repeal, American Gaming Association (AGA) president and CEO Bill Miller evoked the strong legacy of sports betting in the United States, attributing this renewed support to the largely successful rollout of legalized and regulated sports betting offerings:
“American adults have always enjoyed betting on sports, and overwhelmingly value the ability to bring their action into a legal market, close to home. The rapid spread of legal sports betting—fueled by regulated, responsible entities—has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly that PASPA perpetuated.”– Bill Miller, President and CEO, American Gaming Association (AGA),Press Release
As previously mentioned, the Supreme Court’s decision to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) came almost precisely five years ago, and the AGA hasn’t slowed down in its efforts to champion safer gambling and crack down on unlicensed operators, with Miller promising that efforts will continue moving forward:
“Five years post-PASPA, the AGA and our members continue to support responsibly expanding the legal market while cracking down on predatory illegal operators. The regulated industry and our partners across the entire ecosystem—policymakers, law enforcement, regulators, leagues, media, technology providers and more—have made significant strides in our collaborative consumer education efforts since 2018, and we will continue to find new ways to enhance consumer protections as the market matures.”
AGA Foreshadowed Record Number of Super Bowl Bets in February 2023
In other recent American Gaming Association (AGA) news, the organization revealed just recently in February 2023 that a record number of 50.4 million Americans were expected to place bets worth up to an impressive $16 billion on the Super Bowl LVII, which took place on February 12th, 2023.
The AGA’s sample size consisted of 2,199 adults and revealed that as much as 20% of American adults said they would be putting down at least one wager on the final game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
These results represented a significant 61% increase on the last all-time high record, which was set in just the previous year in 2022. The amount wagered by players was also expected to double this year, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA), which naturally attributed such growth to the widespread normalization of legal sports betting opportunities.
AGA president and chief executive Bill Miller explained that the annual Super Bowl is always a good way to gauge the interest in sports betting nationwide, while also seeing a bright future ahead for sports betting in the United States:
“Every year, the Super Bowl serves to highlight the benefits of legal sports betting: bettors are transitioning to the protections of the regulated market, leagues and sports media are seeing increased engagement, and legal operators are driving needed tax revenue to states across the country. As interest in legal sports betting continues to expand, the gaming industry remains committed to responsibly delivering world class entertainment, educating consumers about how to bet responsibly, and combating illegal gambling as we work to build a safe, competitive and sustainable legal market for all.”
National Basketball Association (NBA) Joined AGA’s Safer Gambling Initiative in February 2023
Joining the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) renowned “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly” public service awareness campaign in February 2023 was none other than the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the two now working closely together to educate basketball fans about the main tenets of responsible sports betting.
The NBA will pull its weight here by providing turnkey resources for use by the league’s 30 teams, and also by promoting marketing content for the initiative using a broad range of in-venue, broadcast, digital and social media tools.
NBA senior vice president and head of gaming and new business ventures, Scott Kaufman-Ross drove home how crucial safer gambling is to the league’s core principles:
“Responsible gaming is an integral component of the NBA’s approach to legal sports betting. Working with the AGA on this initiative is an important part of our multifaceted approach to this critical topic and will provide our teams with tools to make a true impact on responsible gaming education in NBA markets across the US and Canada.”
