NFL Prepares for Huge Increase in Betting this Season

Article ByKyle Garlett

September 7, 2023

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Interest in the NFL has never been higher, the value of NFL franchises keeps going up, and as the league kicks off its new season this weekend, betting on the NFL is expected to set records.

According to a report by the American Gaming Association, a record 73.5 million American adults plan to place a bet on the NFL for the upcoming season. That is more than a quarter of all Americans that are of legal gambling age.

Last year, a then-record 46.6 million Americans placed NFL wagers, meaning that the AGA’s survey numbers for 2023 represent an increase of more than 57%.

The 73.5 million figure is of everyone that is planning to wager on the NFL, which includes fantasy sports, wagers with friends, and entrance into betting pools. But 49.7 million of those 73.5 million plan to place wagers online, at casinos, or with other bookmakers.

Online wagering is easily the king of NFL betting, with 35.1 million set to place wagers on websites or mobile apps. Those going to a physical sportsbook or casino to place their wagers is expected to be 13.6 million.

The NFL Wagering Conundrum

The NFL has fully embraced sports betting after years of trying to keep it at arm’s length. The Super Bowl is going to be held in Las Vegas in February, the league has official sports betting partners, and there is now even an NFL-themed slot machine appearing in casinos.

All of it means more money for the league and team owners, and all of it comes with one very big catch. As more people gain an interest in sports betting, more NFL players also gain an interest in sports betting. 

There are currently 10 players on suspension for gambling violations, ranging from the most serious – betting on actual NFL games involving the player’s team – to the less serious – betting on other sports while at an NFL team or league facility.

The most consequential player under suspension is Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, who is out for the first six games of this season for betting on non-NFL games, but while at the Lions facility. 

Not everyone in the league is united in how to handle the new age of sports betting. Some player agents think the non-NFL betting policies are too tough, while other agents like Leigh Steinberg, think they don’t go far enough. Steinberg, who represents reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, believes that the league should ban all player sports betting, as it does for coaches. All league personnel, except for players, are prohibited from all sports betting, even when away from league facilities.

The NFL’s policy against sports betting also invites calls of hypocrisy. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft both own stakes in DraftKings, and both made those purchases before the United States Supreme Court made its landmark ruling in 2018 that led to legalized sports betting.

Sports betting is legal in 38 states, and live and operational in 34 of them. Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 25 of them play in those legalized states.

The number of Americans placing NFL bets will continue to increase, the NFL will make more money off of legalized sports betting, and more NFL players will get entangled in sports betting violations. This conflict within the league is not going away.