Majority of Americans approve of legalizing sports betting

A 55% majority approve of legalizing betting on professional sporting events, a flip from almost a quarter century ago, when a federal law went into effect banning the practice in most of the country and 56% of Americans disapproved of legalization in a Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll.

While the issue has been debated for decades, the coming months figure to be pivotal for sports gambling the United States. With the Supreme Court agreeing to hear arguments on the state of New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports wagering, major stakeholders from the professional sports world increasingly have showed an openness to the idea, and some see a growing sense of inevitably surrounding an issue that was contentious and divisive not long ago.

The American Gaming Association is scheduled to hold a briefing on Capitol Hill today (Wednesday), and public sentiment appears to have moved in a direction that could make it easier for the courts or lawmakers — or both — to reconsider federal legislation that largely limits sports betting to Las Vegas, Nev.

According to the new poll, the increase in support is broad-based and cuts across most demographics, with support among men and women, young and old and those from lower- and higher-income households.

According to the Post-UMass Lowell poll, just more than 1 in 5 sports fans (21%) have bet on professional sporting events in the past five years, and they’re more likely to be avid sports fans, men, pro football fans, nonwhites, and under 40 years old.

Support for legalization is highest among the those who’ve placed a sports bet in the past five years (84%), and is nearly as high among fans who have played in a fantasy sports league (79%), avid sports fans (70%), men (63%), people with household incomes of US$100,000 or more (61%) and pro football fans (60%).There’s little partisan difference on the issue, with 52% of Republicans and 57% of Democrats in support of legalizing sports gambling.

Opposition to sports gambling appears to be fading with older generations. In 1993, 29% of Americans ages 50 and older supported legalizing sports gambling, as did 48% of adults below that age. Today, 46% of those over age 50 support legalization, rising to 62%of people ages 18 to 49.

While casinos might have normalized gambling for many and the internet has made access to betting lines and bookies easier than ever, fantasy sports particularly has struck a chord with both gamblers and sports fans, allowing them to win money based on the performances of individual players.

According to the Post-UMass Lowell poll, 16% of sports fans have participated in fantasy sports leagues in the past five years, and playing in fantasy leagues is more popular among avid sports fans, men, people under 40 and college graduates. There’s significant overlap between sports bettors and fantasy players: 56% of fantasy players have made bets on professional sports in the past five years, while 42% of sports bettors have played fantasy sports in that same time period.

Source: GMB / The Washington Post