The American Gaming Association (AGA), commissioned a new study that found that 86% of American adults agreed that the Supreme Court acted correctly in striking down the Federal Sports Betting Ban in 2018.
AGA reports that nearly five years after the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, the majority of Americans still believe the justices made the right decision.
This ruling, which paved the way for state-by-state sports betting legalisation, is now more popular than ever before. 85% of respondents believed that it was the right course of action compared to only 63% of respondents in 2019. 77% of US residents also support legalisation of marijuana in their home state.
Bill Miller, AGA’s president and CEO, said: “American adults enjoy betting on sports and value the opportunity to do so in a local, legal market.”
The rapid growth of legal sports betting, fueled by regulated and responsible entities, has contributed to the communities. It also established consumer protections as it has shifted betting away from PASPA’s illegal market monopoly.
A regulated sector that attracts users
The trade body found that legal betting has also made strides in attracting bettors who were previously from offshore and the unlicensed industry.
According to AGA research, 78% of US gamblers place their bets with regulated operators. 77% of all online sports betting is done through licensed operators. In 2019, this figure was only 44%.
The lobbying group reported that 46% bettors who place their bets with unregulated operators intend to switch to regulated businesses in the next year.
90 percent of those who bet primarily on the legal markets intend to continue doing so over the next 12 months.
Users cite 71% as the primary reason for choosing regulated gambling over unregulated betting. They are confident that their bets will pay out. The players also cited 68% that they trusted the security of their accounts and payment methods, while 58% emphasized the importance of resources for responsible gaming.
The need for continued consumer education
The results of the survey showed that US adults were more informed about sports betting laws in their own state. The AGA stressed the need for continued consumer education. Many of those surveyed said that they knew the legal status.
The number of Americans who are unsure if online sports betting is legal in their state has dropped from 45% to 29%.
70% of bettors believed they were using legal betting services, but in fact, most bettors placed their bets illegally.
Miller said, “Five years after the PASPA, AGA and its members continue to support the responsible expansion of the legal market as well as cracking down on illegal predatory 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.”
