The American Gaming Association has vowed to maintain a drive to accelerate protections for customers, as well as echoing calls for a continued crackdown on the US’ illegal ecosystem.
Publishing the results of fresh data, the industry association has revealed that 85 per cent of American adults agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down PASPA, compared to 63 per cent one year earlier.
Elsewhere, 77 per cent support legalisation in their state of residence, with 78 per cent of bettors said to place all or most bets through regulated operators.
It was also found that 77 per cent of online sports bets are now placed through regulated operators, with that figure having stood at 44 per cent in 2019.
In the five years since the aforementioned strike down of PASPA, Americans are said to have wagered $220bn nationwide and generated $3bn in state and local taxes, while also eroding the illegal ecosystem by 60 per cent.
The survey was conducted by Heart+Mind Strategies on behalf of the AGA between March 14-20, 2023, among a national sample of 1,066 general population adults and a sample of 1,005 sports bettors aged 21 or over.
“The rapid spread of legal sports betting has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly”
“American adults have always enjoyed betting on sports, and overwhelmingly value the ability to bring their action into a legal market, close to home,” said Bill Miller, AGA President and CEO.
“The rapid spread of legal sports betting — fuelled by regulated, responsible entities — has contributed to communities and established consumer protections by migrating betting away from the illegal market monopoly that PASPA perpetuated.”
Furthermore, 46 per cent of bettors that currently bet primarily with unregulated operators plan to transition to regulated operators within the next 12 months, while nine in ten that bet legally intending to continue doing so.
The AGA found that the main reasons for this were confidence in bets being paid out (71 per cent), trust in account security and easier payment options (68 per cent) and availability of responsible gaming resources (58 per cent).
Furthermore, 29 per cent (versus 45 per cent in 2018), were said to be unsure if an online sportsbook is legal, with 70 per cent that placed most of their bets with illegal operators believing they were betting either exclusively with legal sportsbooks or splitting their wagers evenly.
Regarding consumer confusion, bettors are said to believe that a site is legal based on a statement on the website (38 per cent), odds being mentioned by the media (36 per cent) and search results (32 per cent).
“…the AGA and our members continue to support responsibly expanding the legal market while cracking down on predatory illegal operators”
“Five years post-PASPA, the AGA and our members continue to support responsibly expanding the legal market while cracking down on predatory illegal operators,” continued Miller.
“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.”
Last week, the Michigan Gaming Control Board announced that a coalition of seven US gaming regulators sent a letter to the US Department of Justice urging them to prioritise combating illegal offshore operators.
This saw the Great Lake State join authorities from Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey and Nevada.
