Secure sports betting is crucial to eliminate illegal market

AGA unveiled research that confirms that a secure and convenient sports betting market is essential to fight the illegal market.

US.- The American Gaming Association (AGA) released new research on current and future sports betting behavior. The research was unveiled as part of the association’s first-ever Sports Betting Executive Summit.

The association said that the findings reveal a strong consumer movement toward legal sports betting, a need for more awareness of legal markets, and consumers’ desire for secure, convenient options for wagering. The report, called Consumer Movement Toward Sports Betting: Current and Future Sports Betting Behavior Post-PASPA, says that nearly 8 in 10 Americans are in favor of legalising sports betting in their state.

Where casino sports betting is legal, only 56% of Americans are aware that it actually is. More than 7-in-10 say it’s important to place sports bets through legal, regulated providers and it is only acceptable to use those providers.

Furthermore, only 41% of Americans know that placing a bet with a bookie is illegal; and security and ease of placing bets are the top two priorities for future sports betting participation.

“This is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on the attitudes and behaviors of sports bettors in America,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “AGA’s research unveils new insights into this critical and growing segment of the gaming market, confirming what we’ve known for a long time: consumers want the ability to wager in safe, regulated markets. With two-thirds of states having taken steps to legalize sports betting, we’re clearly making progress to meet that demand.”

The survey was conducted on behalf of the American Gaming Association by Heart + Mind Strategies between November and December 2018 and comprised a total sample of 6,777 interviews among various subgroups.