If you’re looking for a safe bet for Thursday night’s NFL season opener between the Chiefs and the Lions, I may have a winner for you: The odds are pretty high you’re gonna see an ad for sports gambling.
A record 73.5 million Americans plan to bet on the NFL this season, according to the American Gaming Association. And that’s an increasingly important audience for professional sports.
The NFL has partnerships with the online sportsbooks FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesars that are reportedly worth nearly $1 billion.
But beyond official sponsorships, getting more fans financially invested in games has other benefits for the league, said Peter Schoenke, president of the gaming website RotoWire.
“When people have a rooting interest on a game where they maybe normally don’t have rooting interest, they’re definitely more engaged, they’re watching more TV, they’re using more media associated with that game,” Schoenke said.
NFL gamblers may be paying more attention to the entire league, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be paying more attention to their favorite team.
Sports betting and fantasy sports are changing what it means to be a fan, said Josh Walker with the Sports Innovation Lab.
“I think this entire generation has grown up with the idea that, ‘I rather watch a game because of what I have invested in it, rather than where I grew up,’” Walker said.
Of course, those fans could return to cheering on their hometown teams after they lose their bets.
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