There are two general types of sports bettors in both the U.S. and other parts of the world. The first type is what we might refer to as the “equal opportunity” sports bettor who loves being in action, They are generally willing to place wagers on any available sports betting market.
The second type of sports bettor is the sports fan who loves to wager on very specific sports, typically the same sports they enjoy watching the most. For instance, it’s quite common for football fans to restrict their sports betting activities to NCAA and NFL football markets. For fun, they might even consider betting on the Canadian Football League (CFL) market, but they might not bet on other sports.
Based on this information, someone might wonder which sports betting markets are the most popular among U.S. sports bettors and bettors across the pond. Let’s take a look at the most popular markets.
Note: While legalized sports betting in the U.S. is only available in 32 states as of the end of 2022, the per annum sports betting handle has already risen to well over $100 billion. The handle reported from all states collectively from June 2018 until the end of 2022 was $195 billion. The boom of online gambling with incentives like no deposit bonuses has also helped to attract gamblers all over the U.S.
1. NFL
For decades, the NFL has held its place as the most popular sports league among U.S. sports bettors. The primary reason sports bettors favor this market is the high-profile nature of the league itself. Newspapers and the internet are loaded with information about players, coaches, and teams. It’s this easy access to information and data that makes it easier for bettors to handicap games, which tends to put the bettors on more even terms with online and retail bookmakers.
The state and city team loyalty factor also plays a big role in bringing in NFL handle.
2. College Football (NCAA)
While NFL bettors are restricted to no more than 45 betting markets (point spreads, money lines, over/under) in a given week, college football bettors get access to as many as 240 betting markets in a given week. Again, that’s straight bets, money lines bets, and over/under betting. With access to so many markets, college football bettors tend to favor parlays because they get more game coverage for less of an investment.
Another reason sports bettors like betting on college football is they enjoy taking financial positions in big rivalry games that get a lot of press.
3. NCAA Basketball
By most accounts, U.S. sports bettors tend to favor college basketball betting over NBA betting. Essentially, it’s a numbers game as bookmakers will post as many as 300 college games in any given week. As is the case with NCAA FB, U.S. sports bettors really enjoy focusing on conference play, rivalry games, and non-conference games that feature highly ranked teams.
4. NBA & WNBA
NBA betting is popular in the U.S. but not as popular as college basketball betting. This is largely attributable to bookmakers only posting about fifty (50) games a week, There are days when NBA bettors are left on the sidelines with as few as three games from which to choose on a given night.
It’s worth noting that European sports bettors strongly favor NBA betting over any other major sports league because of the NBA’s star power and the fact some European players actually make it to the NBA.
The WNBA does see some betting action among basketball bettors since the league plays its games when the NCAA and NBA are dormant.
5. MLB
MLB attracts sports bettors largely because the league has the summer all to itself. This is where avid sports bettors turn after basketball goes dark and before the football seasons go into full flight. Some handicappers believe MLB games are easier to handicap because of the effect pitching matchups will have on each game. Of course, the advantages pitching matchups can create are often offset by the money line odds that reflect the disparity between pitchers.
6. NHL
Historically, hockey has been much more popular in Canada than in the U.S. That has changed a bit in recent years as legal sports betting picks up steam in the U.S. It’s notable that most hockey bettors are hockey fans first who tend to bet on their favorite teams.
7. European Football (Soccer)
European football or soccer betting still has a way to go in the U.S. The play European soccer leagues like the Premier and Champions are getting comes from U.S. sports bettors who like betting action in the wee hours of the morning. That’s when soccer matches are generally played.
8. MMA/Boxing
U.S. sports bettors will bet on high-profile MMA and boxing matches. However, the action is usually limited to true fight fans. One of the problems with betting on MMA and boxing is the availability of major fights. Such events are few.