MAJORITY: 54% of Americans Think Betting

MAJORITY: 54% of Americans Think Betting Should Be Legal

54% of American Think Betting Should Be Legal

Summary

A recent Seton Hall poll revealed 54% of respondents favor the legalization of sports betting nationwide
Last year, only 47% thought the same
Seton hired YouGov, a respected online polling agency with over 20 years experience, to conduct this survey

21+, new US players only

For the first time, most everyday Americans back legalized sports betting. According to a recent Seton Hall survey, 54% of respondents answered yes to the question, “In your opinion, should sports betting be legal?”

Only 22% said no, giving legal sports betting a net favorability rating of +32.

All Study Groups Favor Betting Legalization

These numbers are even higher among those who identify as sports fans. 56% of casual fans, 62% of sports fans, and 74% of avid fans support legalized betting.

Those who identified as non-fans approved the least, with only 41% in favor. But that’s still a plurality – only 24% opposed legalized betting, translating to a net favorability rating of +17.

Support for Betting Has Soared Since Last Year

In 2022, the Seton Hall Sports Poll asked the same question (“In your opinion, should sports betting be legal?”).

Year-over-year, support for betting has increased sharply.

In 2022, 47% of respondents voiced support for legalized sports betting, while 27% opposed it. 59% of sports fans favoured it, but 25% were against it. And only 33% of non-fans were on board, while 28% weren’t.

So, net favorability among the general population went from +20 to +32, from +34 to +42 among sports fans, and from +5 to +17 among non-fans.

These are massive shifts in opinion. Further surveys are needed to confirm this trend, but it appears sports betting is approaching lottery acceptance levels.

A Joint Seton Hall-YouGov Partnership

To obtain a representative sample, Seton Hall hired YouGov. YouGov is a UK-based polling agency that has been in business since 2000.

Since then, YouGov has become one of the world’s most trustworthy market research firms. In addition to conducting surveys for commercial clients, they’ve also run polls in multiple American, British, and Australian elections.

To recruit the sample needed for Seton Hall’s sports betting survey, YouGov used U.S. Census Data. They weighted respondents using demographic data such as age, gender and income level.

Ultimately, they polled 1,534 people – well above the 1,000 recommended for a valid opinion poll. With a margin of error of +/- 2.5%, we’re confident of this survey’s results.