The American betting industry is steady-growing and fast-rising, thanks to resources that power it like the
passion of American bettors, legalization of sports betting by the Supreme Court, internet penetration, and
sporting events like the Super Bowl.
The sports betting sector in America continues to grow into a wealthy industry, leveraging heavily on
America’s football culture and the citizens’ passion for betting for football.
One of the major leagues that has such a strong grip on millions of fans across cities in America is the
National Football League (NFL) who entertain and provide bettors with the opportunity to make money
doing what they’re passionate about.
The National Football League is rooted so deeply into the landscape of betting in America cities, thriving
against all odds even when the ban on sports betting was in effect.
In this article we focus on the American football industry and the NFL, and how they’ve changed the
landscape of betting in America cities.
The NFL Season
Up to 46.6 million Americans bet on the NFL this season. A 3% increase from last year.
By the NFL season kickoff, 31 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had launched
betting markets, with few more getting ready to get into bookmaking in the coming months.
Over $50.4 billion was spent on sports with American sportsbooks in 2022, according to the AGA.
● A survey conducted on 2,210 Americans in late August showed the following:
● 23 million American adults intend to bet online this season, which is 18% more from 2021, while
10.6 million would vote in person.
● 13% of NFL bettors used an unlicensed bookmaker this season, which is a 2% year-over-year
decrease.
● Betting with bookmakers is 50% higher in states where sports betting hasn’t been legalized yet.
● 89% of Americans who bet on sports in the past year agreed that it is “very or somewhat
important” to bet with a legal, regulated sportsbook.
● September was “Responsible Gaming Education Month”. 92% of American sports bettors were
aware of responsible gambling tools.
How Much Americans Spend On Betting
Since a US supreme court ruling cleared the 50 states in America to offer it 4 years ago, Americans have
spent more than $125 billion on sports with legal gambling outlets.
This $125 billion is more than the amount that was spent by citizens on pet food, supplies, and veterinary
care in the whole country last year, and more than the net income for American farmers last year.
Although some of this money was paid to lucky bettors who won bets, some of it goes to bookmakers
who keep 10% of the total bet amounts they handle. The revenue figure of bookmakers is $8.8 billion
within the first 4 years legal betting was legalized.
Growth Of American Football Through NFL
The National Football League is close to making $2 billion in partnership fees which is the highest in
professional sports.
Through agreements with betting firms and technology companies, the NFL was able to secure $1.8
billion in sponsorship revenue. This figure is a year-over-year 12% increase from the $1.62 billion it
made in the 2020 season. The NFL made 1.47 billion from sponsors in the 2019 season.
Sports gambling companies, casinos, and lotteries had the most increase in NFL sponsorship agreements.
Agencies like DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars become sportsbook partners in 2021 after they hit five-
year contracts worth under $1 billion. The NFL also secured deals with WynnBet, Fox Bet, Bet MGM
and PointsBet.
NFL partnership deals typically last 3-7 years and cost a minimum of $10 million yearly for smaller
organizations. More prominent firms pay around $200 million yearly.
Company Partnerships
Verizon is one of the NFL’s most prominent deals, paying over $300 million to the league yearly. In
September, they agreed to include a new 10-year deal with the NFL and added 5G rights.
However the new deal excludes live streams of games, making it less valuable. It also means that the
NFL’s mobile rights are up for the taking.
These estimates by IEG come days after the NFL created one of the most memorable playoff weekends,
which included an exciting overtime game between Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. That match was
watched by more than 42 million viewers, making it the highest divisional postseason game since 2017.
The NFL’s biggest gambling sponsorship increase happened in the 2021 season, tech deals were first in
absolute dollar figures for 2021, led by Microsoft. Microsoft has an on-the-field deal with the NFL, which
uses Microsoft’s Surface tablet. That deal is worth about $100 million yearly.
Last year December, the NFL reentered its deal with Anheuser-Busch, which pays the Football League
over $250 million yearly for beer and hard seltzer rights. Busch lost control of hard alcohol rights, which
Diageo took over at $30 million yearly.
Global Revenue
Although the NFL significantly increased its total sponsorship revenue, the greater part of this growth
went to league-wide sponsorships which grew by 23%. NFL clubs got only 4% additional revenue in
rights fees year-over-year.
To increase revenue streams for clubs, the NFL is following in the NBA’s playbook and allowing its
teams to leverage international markets. The League gave the go ahead to 18 teams to market intellectual
properties in 26 territories, including Germany, Mexico, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Although it’ll take a while to see any real traction in this department by these teams.
The NFL might dominate local markets, but American football doesn’t have much international
prominence. Additionally, Canada and Australia already have their own football leagues, so the NFL will
have some competition.
This league tried to grow its industry in London with its annual games, and Germany also showed
interest. However, these overseas matches might not be enough to give the NFL the kind of international
pull the NBA has.
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