Sports Betting Statistics 2026

The post-2018 US explosion

The single most important date for understanding US sports betting is May 14, 2018 — when the Supreme Court's Murphy v. NCAA decision struck down the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, opening the door for states to legalize sports betting individually.

What's happened since:

Year	US legal sports betting revenue	States with legal sports betting
2018 (partial year)	$430M	8
2019	$910M	14
2020	$1.5B	20
2021	$4.4B	30
2022	$7.6B	33
2023	$11.0B	38
2024	$13.5B	38 + DC

That's roughly 30× growth in six years. No other adult-spending category in US history has scaled this fast at this size.

The handle vs. revenue distinction

Two numbers get confused constantly:

• Handle = total dollars wagered. For 2024: $148 billion in US legal sports betting.
• Revenue (or "gross gaming revenue") = what the sportsbooks keep after paying out winnings. For 2024: $13.5 billion.

The ratio — about 9% — is the operators' "hold." It varies by sport, bet type, and operator. Parlays (multi-leg bets) typically yield hold of 20%+ because of the way odds compound. Straight single-game bets typically yield 4–5%.

State-by-state legalization status (2026)

Legal in some form (mobile, retail, or both):

• Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida (tribal-only currently), Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi (retail only), Missouri (newly legalized 2024), Montana, Nebraska (retail only), Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico (tribal), New York, North Carolina, North Dakota (tribal), Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota (retail only), Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington (tribal-only), West Virginia, Wisconsin (tribal), Wyoming

Notable holdouts: California (rejected ballot measures in 2022), Texas (legislature has not advanced), Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah (constitutional ban).

Market share among sportsbooks

The US online sports betting market is a near-duopoly. Eilers & Krejcik Gaming estimates of 2024 market share:

• FanDuel — ~42% of online sports betting revenue
• DraftKings — ~28%
• BetMGM — ~7%
• Fanatics Sportsbook (acquired PointsBet US) — ~5%
• Caesars Sportsbook — ~4%
• Bet365 + ESPN BET + others — ~14%

The duopoly is far stronger than it was when most states opened — early entrants compounded their advantage through aggressive customer acquisition spending. FanDuel and DraftKings together spent over $4 billion on marketing in the 2021-2023 period combined, per company filings.

Who actually bets

NORC's 2023 nationally representative survey found:

• 24% of US adults bet on sports in the past year (any form)
• 15% placed a bet through a legal sportsbook
• The remainder used illegal offshore sites, casual bets with friends, fantasy sports, or other channels
• Bettors skew male (about 2:1) and younger (highest among 18–44)
• The average bettor placed about 22 bets in the past year

Problem gambling

The National Council on Problem Gambling's most recent estimates:

• About 3 million US adults have a severe gambling disorder ("compulsive gambling")
• About 5–8 million are at risk or have mild-to-moderate gambling problems
• Call volume to gambling helplines has roughly doubled in legalized states since 2018
• The American Gaming Association's "Have a Game Plan" responsible-gambling campaign reaches roughly 80% of US bettors, per their own metrics

A 2023 study published in JAMA Network Open found that calls to a major US problem-gambling helpline increased about 96% in states that legalized sports betting in the years following legalization, compared with control states that had not legalized.

The illegal market still exists

Despite rapid legalization, the American Gaming Association estimates Americans still wager $40–70 billion annually with illegal/offshore operators — sites operating outside US regulatory jurisdiction. The gap between legal and illegal handle has narrowed (it was over 90% illegal pre-2018) but illegal markets persist due to: tax avoidance, credit access, lower minimum age requirements, and players banned by legal books.

Global view

H2 Gambling Capital estimates the global online sports betting market at about $73 billion in 2024 gross gaming revenue, growing roughly 10% per year. By region:

• Europe — largest mature market (UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain all major)
• Asia-Pacific — fastest-growing, with Australia leading per-capita and India/Southeast Asia driving growth
• North America — US-dominated, Canada legalized single-event betting in 2021
• Latin America — Brazil's 2024 regulatory framework is the biggest regional development
• Africa — Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa among the fastest-growing per-capita markets globally

What's next

Active developments to watch:

• California and Texas — the two largest unregulated US markets. Multiple paths possible; nothing imminent in 2026 but expected this decade.
• iGaming expansion (online casino) — a separate, smaller market than sports betting. Only seven states have legalized full online casino.
• AI-driven personalization — every major sportsbook is investing in real-time odds, personalized parlays, and behavioral modeling. Responsible-gambling concerns are real.
• Regulatory pressure on advertising — multiple US states have tightened ad restrictions; expect more.

Related explainers

• Sports explainers
• Business explainers — industry context
• Law explainers — regulatory context