While we may be well into the second half of 2023, sports fans are just getting geared up again. As summer nears its end and the cooler temps of autumn approach, there’s one thing a sports fanatic has on their mind: a new sporting season.
With a new sporting season comes a new opportunity to cheer for your favorite teams again. That means rooting for them to win every one of their games and placing a bet or two at sites reviewed by top US betting portals like wsn.com to make things more exciting. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching your prediction come to fruition as you watch the game unfold. Plus, with the right bets, you can win money to go along with the added excitement.
Curious about what your fellow sports fans will do for this year? Let’s look at some of the top sports that US fans will bet on this year and see if your favorite makes the list.
Why do sports fans choose to place bets when watching a game?
Let’s face it: we like to prove ourselves right, especially before certain odds and other people. Confident that your favorite underdog team will overwhelmingly win their first game of the season? Prove your point by placing a bet on it. Or how about holding onto your beliefs steadfastly and betting on the loss of your most disliked team?
Sports fans place a bet when they watch a game because it makes them feel more involved and invested (no pun intended) in the game. The stakes feel much higher and more visceral when you have a bet on the line, and you can see the game progress right before you. Even athletes can’t resist betting, even when they’re right there playing the game themselves.
And make no mistake: sports teams are aware of the effects of betting on fan involvement.
Which games are they more likely to bet on for the remainder of 2023?
To a regular person, another year is drawing to a close again. We’re in the middle of the year’s third quarter, and everyone knows the days just whiz by once September hits. But not for sports fans.
At this time of the year, sports fans are getting ready to cheer again, with regular seasons starting back up. Here are the ones that will send fans running towards a sportsbook soon:
NFL regular season
It’s no surprise that NFL is America’s favorite sport, and guess what: it’s about to start. Preseason games are starting to kick off here and there; it won’t be long before the regular season sends everyone into a frenzy again. Are you ready to don your team’s colors again?
As for bookkeepers, the start of the NFL regular season means another profitable boom for them. According to a CRG Global for Variety Intelligence Platform survey, four out of five sports bettors placed a bet on NFL games. Two-thirds of those bettors admitted to watching the game they put a wager on.
To give you an idea of how popular the NFL is among sports bettors: 81 percent of those surveyed by CRG Global said they placed bets on NFL games. Of course, there’s bound to be an overlap between the NFL and other sports, but that figure is an overwhelming majority.
NBA regular season
The NBA isn’t back on until mid-October, but you can be sure that basketball fans will be ready to place bets again once the games start flowing. With so many games to watch, seeing a struggling team blossom into something formidable halfway through is thrilling, and betting only makes that excitement even better.
The numbers support this view too. From the same CRG Global survey, NBA comes in second (albeit distantly) to NFL regarding sports fans bet on. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed admitted to betting on NBA games, demonstrating how much America loves basketball too. Half of those basketball fans place a bet on weekly games, compared to the measly 17 percent who watch but don’t bet.
Clearly, there’s something that non-betting fans are missing out on.
MLB postseason
On the other hand, baseball fans are just now gearing up for the end. When football and basketball fans prepare for a new season, baseball lovers are steeling themselves for the upcoming drama of the MLB postseason. Will your favorite team finally end its dry spell and win a league pennant, or will they sputter and give up any hope of reaching the World Series? If you’re planning to place a few bets, make sure to follow MLB picks from Doc’s Sports.
Major League Baseball may not command the same fanbase size as the NFL or NBA, but it still has a considerable following. Though not representative of the entire country, 44 percent of those who took CRG’s survey said they place bets on MLB games. However, the survey didn’t specify whether these bets were placed during regular or post-season.
College football
Of course, how can we forget college football — the sport where nearly every professional football star got their start? It might feel as if we’re cheating by including two football leagues on the list, but we simply cannot deny the popularity of college football. America really loves football, after all.
If you’re skeptical, take Ohio as an example. According to a recent survey, over 45 percent of Ohioans support the Ohio State Buckeyes, compared to 26 percent supporting the Cincinnati Bengals. Since college sports betting is allowed in Ohio, there’s no doubt that many of those Buckeye supporters will place bets as they watch their games.
Of course, not every state where sports betting is legal can bet on college football games, but there’s no doubt that those who are able won’t pass on the opportunity to increase their involvement by betting with their favorite mobile bookkeeper.
What will the US sports betting market look like for the rest of the year?
With the two most popular sports in the US getting ready to start again, the country’s sports betting market will likely see a sharp uptick in profits as the year closes. NFL is undoubtedly a significant driver of those profit numbers, and the upcoming regular season should get the money rolling again. And that’s even before some states that recently legalized sports betting could open their market.
One thing’s for sure: the US sports betting industry is bound to see positive growth again this year, and we have the start of regular sports seasons to thank for that.
