Press release

2 in 3 Sports Fans Want Betting Integrated into Game Day Experiences Following May 2018 Repeal of PASPA

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Ahead of the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s repeal of the
Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), GlobalWebIndex,
the leading supplier of digital consumer insights to the global
marketing industry, and The
Action Network
, the most trusted source for sports betting news and
insights, announced the findings of a robust baseline study on sports
betting interest in the United States.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190514005148/en/

To date, ten states have legalized sports betting, and additional states
are in the process of doing so. In the twelve months since the PASPA
repeal allowed states to legalize sports betting, 68% of sports fans
placed a bet, or would have placed a bet if it were legal in their state
.
The study also suggests mobile will play a crucial role in the continued
growth of sports betting and its impact on sports networks, as 67% of
sports fans are interested in betting being integrated into live viewing
experiences.

Sports betting is a potential boon to established and emerging
sports leagues:

  • The majority of sports fans would place a bet on the leagues they
    support –
    NBA fans are most likely to do so (88%), followed by NFL
    fans (86%), eSports fans (86%) and MLB fans (81%).
  • The NBA also outranks other leagues for consumer interest in
    player-specific bets
    – nearly half of sports fans (47%) would
    place a prop bet on Kevin Durant, 41% on Stephen Curry and 37% on
    James Harden.
  • Sports betting increases gameday investment and engagement – 60%
    of respondents say they would be more likely to watch a game they bet
    on.

“In the year since sports betting has been legal in the United States,
we’ve seen an explosion of fan engagement and growing revenue potential
for rights holders, teams and leagues,” said Patrick Keane, CEO of
The Action Network,
“As the study confirms, sports fans want better
information and insights, and they want to bet legally, conveniently and
on their phones.”

Sports Bettors Seek Real-Time Engagement Online & on Mobile

Sports betting has the potential to complement game viewership as fans
increasingly tap the power of mobile as their betting habits increase.

  • The majority of sports fans seek real-time betting opportunities — the
    most interested being 78% of NCAAB fans who say they would place a bet
    while watching college basketball, followed by fans of NCAAF (75%),
    MLB (75%), NFL (73%) and NBA (73%).
  • Mobile betting products are rising in importance — 80% of
    respondents say they would prefer to bet via app or website, compared
    to 50% who would bet in-person.
  • Sports fans desire specialized apps — 55% are interested in
    using a mobile app primarily focused on sports betting, with NHL fans
    (67%) and NBA fans (61%) the most interested.
  • Mobile betting is likely to boost gameday viewership — 54% of
    sports fans say if they placed a bet, they would be more likely to
    follow the game through a sports news app or gambling app.
  • In-app game streaming supports real-time betting — 44% of
    sports fans say that, if possible, they would place a bet while
    following a game in-app.

“As the legalization of sports betting continues to spread throughout
the U.S., our insights suggest mobile will become a predominant channel
of engagement,” said Jason Mander, Chief Research Officer at
GlobalWebIndex
. “The ubiquity of mobile streaming, in general, leads
consumers to expect and demand that what they watch on TV can be
continued seamlessly on-the-go; the same need is now being applied to
sports betting as fans want to stay invested no matter where they are.”

Methodology

GlobalWebIndex surveyed 3,057 U.S. internet users aged 21-64 between
April 17-30, 2019. 1,069 of the respondents self-identified as ‘sports
fans’ by selecting 8-10 on a 0-10 scale of their interest in sports.
Surveys were collected via mobile, desktop, laptop or tablet.

About GlobalWebIndex

GlobalWebIndex is a market research company that provides consumer
insights data across 45 countries to the world’s largest brands,
marketing agencies and media organizations. The company maintains a
global panel of more than 22 million connected consumers, which it
leverages to create 35,000 data points on the behaviors and perceptions
of internet users around the world. Clients, including Google, Spotify,
WPP, IPG and Omnicom Group, can gather in-depth insights into audience
behaviors, perceptions and interests through a combination of survey and
analytics data using the GlobalWebIndex platform.

About The Action Network

Launched in January 2018 by The Chernin Group, The Action Network
provides premium storytelling and analysis, real-time odds, in-depth
information on the betting markets, personalized alerts for users, as
well as the ability to track bets via its website and sports
industry-leading app. The Action Network has been featured in New York
Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, ESPN, Fox Sports,
Sports Business Journal and dozens of other media outlets as the leading
source for news, information and primary data in sports betting.