Data · Blog
Online Sports Betting Statistics 2026: More Americans bet, more see harm.
How online participation, sportsbook revenue, public attitudes, and state markets changed.
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Online sports betting reached 10% of U.S. adults in 2025, up from 6% in 2022, even as the share viewing widespread legalization as bad for society rose from 34% to 43%. Meanwhile, commercial sportsbooks handled $166.94 billion in wagers and generated nearly $17 billion in revenue.
Short answer: one in ten U.S. adults bet on sports online in 2025, and Americans wagered $166.94 billion with commercial sportsbooks. More people now call legal sports betting bad for society, and in August 2026 sportsbook revenue fell 15.6% while wagers barely changed.
U.S. online sports betting statistics at a glance
- $166.94 billion in U.S. commercial sports betting wagers in 2025.
- $16.89 billion in commercial sportsbook revenue in 2025.
- 10% of U.S. adults placed an online sports bet in 2025.
- 43% of U.S. adults viewed widespread legal sports betting as bad for society in 2025.
- 97.5% of New Jersey's sportsbook revenue came from online betting in 2025.
- $26.3 billion in mobile sports wagers were placed in New York in 2025.
- $3.71 billion in state-regulated sports betting taxes was reported for 2025.
- 15.6% decline in U.S. commercial sportsbook revenue in August 2026 compared with August 2025.
Online sports betting participation rose from 6% to 10%
One in ten American adults reported placing an online sports bet in the previous 12 months, according to Pew Research Center's 2025 survey of 9,916 adults, conducted July 8 to August 3, 2025. That was up from 6% in 2022. Other betting methods barely changed.
| Sports betting method | 2022 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Online with an app, sportsbook, or casino | 6% | 10% |
| In person at a casino, racetrack, or kiosk | 8% | 8% |
| With friends or family | 15% | 15% |
| Any of these methods | 19% | 22% |
Pew Research Center, October 2025. People can use more than one method, so the rows overlap.
Overall participation rose three percentage points, online four. The increase shows online betting reached more Americans, not that each person wagered more.
Online betting was more common among younger adults
17% of adults under 30 placed an online sports bet in the previous year, up from 7% in 2022, a ten-point rise against four points for adults overall. Among adults under 30, participation reached 21% for men and 16% for women. The survey shows who bets more, not why.
Negative views of legal sports betting rose to 43%
While participation rose, attitudes moved the other way. Pew found that 43% of U.S. adults viewed widespread legal sports betting as bad for society in 2025, up from 34% in 2022. The share viewing it as bad for sports rose from 33% to 40%.
| Public opinion | 2022 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Legal sports betting is bad for society | 34% | 43% |
| Legal sports betting is good for society | 8% | 7% |
| Legal sports betting is bad for sports | 33% | 40% |
| Legal sports betting is good for sports | 16% | 17% |
Pew Research Center, October 2025.
The positive views barely moved. What changed is how many people see harm. Negative views rose even among people who had bet in the past year: in that group, the share calling legalization bad for society went from 23% to 34%. The surveys ask about legal sports betting in general, not online betting alone, and they show a shift in attitudes, not its causes.
Americans wagered $166.94 billion on sports in 2025
U.S. commercial sportsbooks handled $166.94 billion in wagers in 2025, an 11% increase from 2024, according to the American Gaming Association. Its later State of the States 2026 report put sportsbook gross gaming revenue at $16.89 billion, up 22.6%. Revenue grew roughly twice as fast as wagering.
| Measure | 2025 figure | Annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Sports betting handle | $166.94B | +11.0% |
| Sportsbook gross gaming revenue | $16.89B | +22.6% |
American Gaming Association. Includes online and retail betting, excludes tribal sportsbooks.
The implied hold was about 10.1%: sportsbooks kept about $10.12 in gross revenue for every $100 wagered. Handle counts money bet again after payouts, and revenue is not net profit.
New Jersey generated nearly all sportsbook revenue online
Internet sports wagering produced about $1.148 billion of New Jersey's $1.177 billion in sportsbook revenue in 2025. Retail sportsbooks generated just $29.5 million, and the online share kept rising.
| Year | Online revenue | Retail revenue | Online share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $962.4M | $44.1M | 95.6% |
| 2024 | $1,061.1M | $33.5M | 96.9% |
| 2025 | $1,147.7M | $29.5M | About 97.5% |
New Jersey Casino Control Commission, 2025 annual report. Shares are our arithmetic; the commission describes 2025 as over 97.4%.
Between 2023 and 2025, online sportsbook revenue rose about 19% while retail fell about 33%. New Jersey legalized online sports wagering years earlier, so this is a mature market still moving online, not a new one opening.
New York's mobile market handled $26.3 billion in 2025
New York's mobile sportsbooks handled about $26.3 billion in wagers in 2025, generating about $2.55 billion in gross gaming revenue, an implied hold of about 9.7%.
The state comptroller's September 2026 report gives the longer view: from the launch of mobile wagering in January 2022 to the end of state fiscal year 2026, more than $91.2 billion was wagered, generating $8.3 billion in gross gaming revenue. It also counted 7.2 million unique mobile sports wagering accounts in 2025, averaging $3,500 wagered per account and $42 per wager. Those are accounts, not people: one person can hold accounts with several operators.
FanDuel and DraftKings held 70.1% of revenue in reporting states
In August 2026, FanDuel accounted for 35.7% of online sportsbook revenue across 12 jurisdictions that report company-level figures, according to the American Gambling Markets Atlas, and DraftKings 34.4%.
| Operator | August 2026 revenue share |
|---|---|
| FanDuel | 35.7% |
| DraftKings | 34.4% |
| Fanatics | 9.7% |
| BetMGM | 7.9% |
| Caesars | 3.9% |
| Other operators | 8.4% |
American Gambling Markets Atlas, 12 reporting jurisdictions. "Other operators" combines ESPN Bet/theScore, bet365, Hard Rock Bet, and the Atlas's Other category. Rounded.
Their combined share of wagers was slightly lower, at 68.0%. This is not a nationwide figure: it covers only jurisdictions that disclose operator results, and monthly shares move with sporting outcomes.
Sports betting taxes reached $3.71 billion in 2025
State-regulated sports betting taxes reached $3.71 billion in 2025, up 32.4%, according to the AGA's February 2026 announcement. That grew faster than both wagering and sportsbook revenue in the same release.
| Measure | 2025 annual growth |
|---|---|
| Sports betting handle | 11.0% |
| Sportsbook gross gaming revenue | 22.8% |
| Sports betting taxes | 32.4% |
AGA, February 2026 announcement. Its later annual report gives revenue growth of 22.6%; see numbers to check twice.
Tax collections depend on state rules as well as revenue, and states use different rates and definitions of taxable revenue. New Jersey, for example, raised its internet sports wagering tax from 13% to 19.75% on July 1, 2025. New York's comptroller separately reported about $1.3 billion in mobile sports wagering tax in state fiscal year 2026, against $727.4 million in fiscal 2023. That is a fiscal-year figure, so it is not directly comparable with the AGA's calendar-year total.
August 2026 revenue fell 15.6%, but wagers barely changed
Commercial sportsbooks handled $10.89 billion in August 2026, down 0.7% from August 2025, according to the AGA's revenue tracker. Revenue fell 15.6% to about $1.00 billion, as the hold rate dropped from 10.8% to 9.2%.
| August commercial sports betting | August 2025 | August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Handle | About $10.97B | $10.89B |
| Gross gaming revenue | About $1.18B | $1.00B |
| Hold | 10.8% | 9.2% |
AGA Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. August 2025 dollar figures are our arithmetic from the reported annual changes.
The AGA pointed to sports betting on prediction markets and a later start to the college football season. Those are the trade association's explanations, not independently measured causes. For what is happening on those platforms, see our prediction market statistics.
New York's June shows how results swing revenue
In June 2026, New York's mobile handle rose $604 million, or 36.6%, from June 2025, according to the comptroller, yet gross gaming revenue fell nearly $90 million, or 43.5%. It was the month the New York Knicks won the NBA championship. In the first two weeks of June, bettors placed more than $1 billion in mobile wagers while operators recorded a net gaming revenue loss of $14.4 million. More betting can mean less sportsbook revenue when bettors win big.
Numbers that need a second look
The AGA reported $16.96 billion in 2025 sportsbook revenue, up 22.8%, in its February 2026 announcement. Its later May report gives $16.89 billion, up 22.6%, a difference of about $70 million. This page uses the later figure except in the tax comparison, which keeps the February release's own growth rates. The publications do not explain why the totals differ.
How to check these numbers yourself
| Figure | Where to verify it |
|---|---|
| Online participation and public opinion | Pew Research Center's October 2025 survey and methodology |
| 2025 U.S. handle and sportsbook revenue | The AGA's annual commercial gaming reports |
| New Jersey online against retail revenue | New Jersey Casino Control Commission annual report |
| New York accounts and tax receipts | New York State Comptroller's September 2026 report |
| FanDuel and DraftKings shares | American Gambling Markets Atlas and the state reports behind it |
| August 2026 revenue decline | AGA Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker |
Three traps when you check
- Handle is not revenue. Handle is money wagered; gross gaming revenue is what sportsbooks keep after payouts. Neither is net profit.
- Accounts are not people. One bettor can hold accounts with several operators. Surveys count people; sportsbook totals count accounts.
- Online figures are not always national. AGA commercial totals include retail betting, and operator shares exclude states without company-level reporting.
What sits behind this
Participation and opinion findings come from Pew Research Center's representative surveys. National revenue and tax figures come from the American Gaming Association, New Jersey and New York figures from the state regulator and comptroller, and operator shares from the American Gambling Markets Atlas. We calculated some shares and comparisons from published figures, and the page says so, but we did not reproduce the underlying surveys or filings. Annual comparisons use 2025 data; the latest monthly figures are for August 2026.
Regulated sportsbooks are context for what we cover, crypto casinos and prediction markets, but their revenue measures neither. See our crypto gambling statistics and U.S. online gambling statistics. If you find an error, tell us and we'll correct it with the date shown.
Online sports betting statistics: quick answers
How many Americans bet on sports online?
Pew Research Center found that 10% of U.S. adults placed an online sports bet in the previous 12 months in 2025, up from 6% in 2022. The survey measures participation, not registered sportsbook accounts.
What percentage of U.S. sports betting is online?
The sources reviewed do not give one nationwide percentage. In New Jersey, online sportsbooks generated about 97.5% of sports betting revenue in 2025, but that share is specific to the state.
Are Americans becoming more supportive of legal sports betting?
Pew's surveys show the opposite. The share viewing widespread legal sports betting as bad for society rose from 34% in 2022 to 43% in 2025, even as online participation increased.
How much tax revenue does sports betting generate in the U.S.?
The American Gaming Association reported $3.71 billion in state-regulated sports betting taxes in 2025, up 32.4% from 2024. The total covers commercial sports betting, online and retail, and is not all gambling-related tax revenue.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these.
- Pew Research Center, Americans increasingly see legal sports betting as a bad thing for society and sports, October 2025pewresearch.org
- Pew Research Center, online sports betting participation, 2022 to 2025pewresearch.org
- Pew Research Center, sports betting public opinion, 2022 to 2025pewresearch.org
- American Gaming Association, State of the States 2026americangaming.org
- American Gaming Association, 2025 commercial gaming revenue announcement, February 2026americangaming.org
- American Gaming Association, Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker, August 2026americangaming.org
- New Jersey Casino Control Commission, 2025 annual report (PDF)nj.gov
- New York State Comptroller, mobile sports betting and problem gambling report, September 2026osc.ny.gov
- American Gambling Markets Atlas, sportsbook market sharegamblingatlas.org
- American Gambling Markets Atlas, New York online sports betting revenuegamblingatlas.org