Americans on Sports Betting: Fun, But Wager With Caution

Ever since more and more states have legalized sports betting over the past few years, Americans have shown an appetite for wagering on sports events. The total handle, i.e. the amount wagered by sports bettors across the nation, has risen more than sevenfold since 2019, reaching $93.2 billion last year.

And while Americans clearly seem to enjoy putting down a wager, they are aware of the risks involved in sports betting. According to a 2021 survey from Statista Consumer Insights, 25 percent of U.S. adults think that sports betting can be just as addictive as alcohol, drugs or tobacco, while 14 percent think it shouldn’t have been legalized in the first place.

At the other end of the scale, 23 percent of respondents think that sports betting is fun, while 20 percent said that putting down a wager makes watching sports more thrilling.