Study: Sports Gamblers Are Big Pay TV Subscribers


The growing interest in legal sports gambling could mean more potential TV viewers, according to a recent analysis of sports programming by Altman Vilandrie & Company.

Some 92% of frequent gamblers (those who participate regularly in sports betting and/or fantasy sports) are pay TV subscribers, according to the study, which also found that 54% of respondents under the age of 24 are frequent or occasional sports gamblers, compared to 17% of respondents over the age of 55.

Of the four major pro sports, NFL football was the No. 1 sport for viewers who watch for their favorite team (88% of NFL fans) and for sports-fantasy league implications.

In May, a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal sports betting. Currently, around a dozen states have some form legal sports gambling.

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Overall, the survey says 90% of fans who watch sports regularly subscribe to traditional or virtual pay TV providers, compared to only 67% of sports non-viewers.

The NFL is the top favorite sport to watch, followed by Major League Baseball, college football, NBA, Nascar and tennis.

Younger viewers (18-24) are much more likely to want to watch esports and professional European football. Older viewers 55 years and older are more likely to watch NFL, college football, college basketball, MLB and golf.

Research comes from an online survey in August 2019, conducted with more than 5,000 U.S. respondents. It measured consumer interest and willingness to pay for sports and news programming.

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