By John Gramlich
Pew Research Center

Public awareness of legal sports betting has grown in recent years – and so has the perception that it is a bad thing for society and sports, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Today, 43% of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society. That’s up from 34% in 2022. And 40% of adults now say it’s a bad thing for sports, up from 33%.

Despite these increasingly critical views of legal sports betting, many Americans continue to say it has neither a bad nor good impact on society and on sports. Fewer than 1 in 5 see positive impacts.

Meanwhile, the share of Americans who have bet money on sports in the past year has not changed much since 2022.

Today, 22% of adults say they’ve personally bet money on sports in the past year. That’s a slight uptick from 19% three years ago. This figure includes betting in any of three ways:

  • With friends or family, such as in a private betting pool, fantasy league or casual bet.
  • Online with a betting app, sportsbook or casino.
  • In person at a casino, racetrack or betting kiosk.

All of this increase has come through online sports betting: 10% of adults now say they’ve placed a bet this way in the past year, up from 6% in 2022. There has been no change in the shares of adults who have bet on sports with family or friends or in person at a casino, racetrack or betting kiosk.

Commercial sports betting has spread rapidly across the United States since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 gave states the green light to legalize it. At least 38 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico now allow commercial sports betting in some form, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In Pew’s new survey, 63% of adults say they’ve heard or read a lot or a little about the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the U.S. That’s up from 56% in 2022. The increase in public awareness comes as betting-related advertisements have become common during sports broadcasts.

Since 2022, Americans in many demographic groups have become more likely to view the widespread legalization of sports betting as a bad thing for society, as well as for sports.

This is true for men and women; college graduates and noncollege graduates; and upper-, middle- and lower-income Americans alike. It is also the case among Democrats and Republicans, as well as among those who have personally placed a sports bet in the past year and those who have not.

Some of the biggest shifts in attitudes about sports betting’s societal impact have come among young Americans – especially young men. Today, 47% of men under age 30 say legal sports betting is a bad thing for society, up from 22% who said this in 2022. Women under age 30 have also become more likely to express this view: 35% see legal sports betting as bad for society, up from 25% three years ago.

The full report can be viewed HERE.