Only 45% of US Population are Aware that Federal Ban on Gambling Lifted

A recent survey on the current attitudes towards online gambling in the US has revealed that less than half of the population are aware of the 2018 US Senate ruling.

The survey was conducted by BettingScanner, a sportsbook comparison site, as part of their research into the burgeoning US gambling market.

An Image Problem

The results showed that gambling still struggles with an image problem in the US, with only 41% of Americans viewing the habit as morally acceptable. This level of moral acceptance is equal with the use of single-use plastics, but considerably lower than owning a gun (59%) and smoking marijuana (46%).

A quarter of Americans would be concerned if their partner were to bet on sports online. Almost a fifth of respondents who were gamblers stated that they would not want their employer to know that they gamble online.

Americans more for, than against legalization

It’s not all bad news however, as only 15% of respondents were against the legalization of online sports betting. Roughly half were for legalization with the rest undecided. Of the respondents who were against legalization or undecided, the majority may reconsider their stance if their state was to spend additional sports betting tax revenue on public services. Only 14% of respondents were steadfast in their stance against legalization.

Sports fans were also generally in favour of a  sponsorship deal between a sportsbook and their favorite sports team, with only 17% of respondents against the idea. A similar number were in favour of sponsorship deals but only if the sportsbook coughed up enough money.

Gambling online once a week

Only 14% of respondents had placed a bet since the Supreme Court’s decision in 2018. However, since this was a nationwide survey, many of the respondents would not have been able to place a bet online as not all states have legalized online gambling. Around a third of the gamblers bet online every week, with 17% betting everyday.

Trust is key

41% of gamblers feel that trust is the most important factor when choosing an online sportsbook. A quarter of respondents who gambled claimed payment options was the primary factor in deciding who to bet with. Only 16% stated that odds were the deciding factor.

FanDuel and DraftKings remain the biggest sportsbook brands

Unsurprisingly, the two sportsbooks DraftKings (44%) and FanDuel (41%) topped the brand awareness leaderboards. The sportsbooks which began their life as retail sportsbooks or casinos performed well with BetMGM and Caesars enjoying 14% and 16% brand awareness respectively. The new NJ sportsbook 888Sport had a 8% national level of brand awareness, which is higher than many other more established brands.