In 2018 the Supreme Court removed the federal ban on sports betting, allowing states to legalize it if they choose. Since then, many states have legalized sports betting, and in the last four years there has been significant growth. States report the amount of handle (total dollars wagered) and gross gaming revenue (total dollars won by a sportsbook) monthly. Research by Sportsbook Review analyzed this data and calculated the states that have spent the most in total as well as breaking down the totals of 2021 and 2022.
Americans went from wagering $44 billion in 2021 to a whopping $74 billion in 2022 – an increase of 70%!
1 – New Jersey
Legal online sportsbooks began taking bets in August 2018, two months after the law was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. Since then New Jersey has seen a huge increase in wagers Reaching the $31 billion mark in just four years since legalization. So far in 2022 New Jerseyans have wagered more than $8 billion, the second-highest total in the country.
Wagered: $ 31,570,491,826
2 – Nevada
Nevada has had legal sports betting for decades and was the only state with legal sportsbooks until 2018. Nevada is one of the top destinations for sports betting and since 2018 has seen $27 billion be wagered. With over $7.5 billion of that wagered this year.
Wagered: $ 27,723,080,786
3 – Pennsylvania
Online sports betting has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2019 and since then over $17 billion has been wagered by Americans in the state. Pennsylvania bettors have wagered $5.7 billion for the year as of October 2022, with the total expected to cross $6 billion by the end of the year.
Wagered: $ 17,348,076,597
4 – Illinois
Illinois has seven live sportsbooks available, giving residents plenty of options to bet from anywhere. Illinoisans have racked up $7 billion in bets so far in 2022, up from $5 billion a year earlier.
Wagered: $ 16,597,597,363
5 – New York
It hasn’t taken long for New Yorkers to show their love of sports betting. With nine sportsbooks kicking off online betting in 2022, NY has seen its handle grow from $176 million in 2021 to a nation-leading $14 billion in 2022 – an increase of 8,000%!
Wagered: $ 15,019,150,749
6 – Indiana
Indiana saw a healthy increase from $3 billion in 2021 to $4 billion in 2022, with further growth expected into 2023 and beyond.
Wagered: $ 10,071,140,268
7 – Colorado
Betting in Colorado has only been live since 2020, but within two years has seen massive growth, with over $9 billion being wagered in total.
Wagered: $ 9,144,348,841
8 – Michigan
Michigan only launched sports betting in 2021, but has seen swift and exponential growth with seven online sports books and $7.9 billion in wagers over that span!
Wagered: $ 7,917,820,319
9 – Virginia
Virginia also launched sports betting in 2021 – and similar to Michigan has seen massive growth in short order, going from $2.3 billion in 2021, to $3.8 billion in 2022.
Wagered: $ 7,114,851,026
10 – Tennessee
Tennessee went live in 2020 and has 13 different apps available for betting! This has played a major role in Tennessee generating $2.9 billion in wagers in 2022 alone!
Wagered: $ 6,013,390,107
A spokesperson from Sportsbook Review commented: “Sports betting has seen a huge increase since some states have legalised it within the last four years, with wagers increasing by 70% from 2021 to 2022. In the first year after the Supreme Court ruling, legal US sportsbooks took in $9 billion, in 2022 so far over $74 billion has been wagered, that’s a 744% increase in four years.
“It’s clear that as sports betting becomes more accessible across America the money wagered could increase exponentially as well. This is good for governments as they can tax it and utilise Americans’ love of betting to build and improve the nation at local and national levels. It’s important however to be aware of the risks of gambling and never gamble if you can’t afford to lose the money.”
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