Sports Betting Proliferation Bad for Society, Says Pew Poll

• Americans are increasingly negative on sports betting expansion
• Despite gloomy perceptions, 22% of respondents bet on sports in past year

When Missouri joins the party later this year, sports betting will be legal in 39 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC, but that expansion doesn’t sit well with many Americans.

A new Pew Research poll indicates 43% of Americans believe it’s bad for society that sports wagering is increasingly accessible in this country — a significant jump from the 34% that said the same thing in the 2022 edition of a similar survey. Forty percent said sports betting expansion is harming sports, up from 33% three years ago.

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 one-in-five see positive impacts,” according to Pew.

The research firm also points out that Americans are more aware of the increased legality of sports wagering in this country. Perhaps due to various media agreements and prominence of sportsbook advertising on some networks, 63% of respondents said “they’ve heard or read a lot or a little” about increased sports betting access in the US. That’s up from 56% in 2022.

Sports Betting Negativity Is Broad-Based

There’s debate regarding whether or not sports betting is a direct contributor to financial strain, but it’s clear that negative perceptions of the activity span various demographic groups.

“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,” observes Pew.

In what could be a concerning message to gaming companies, young men — the core sportsbook customer — increasingly view sports betting in bearish fashion. Forty-seven percent of men under 30 told Pew sports wagering is bad for society, more than double the 22% that said the same three years prior. Women in that age group are barely more constructive on sports betting with 35% agreeing that form of betting is harmful.

More Demographic Concerns

While young people’s apprehension about sports betting is rising, that’s not preventing broad-based participation. Thirty-six percent of men and 29% of women in the under 30 cohort bet on sports in the past year, according to Pew. In the 50 to 64 and 65+ groups, those percentages are just 19% and 12%, respectively.

There are other potentially concerning demographic trends pertaining to sports betting, including data indicating some groups are more frequent bettors than others and that could exposure the more prolific cohorts to bigger losses.

“Black and Hispanic adults are also especially likely to have bet money on sports in the past year: 30% and 27%, respectively, say they have done so. Roughly two-in-ten Asian (22%) and White (19%) adults say the same,” concludes Pew.