More and more people in the United States and Canada are playing fantasy sports games and placing sports bets, a new study has revealed.
Across the two nations, over 81 million adults now engage in legal sports wagering and fantasy sports, representing a 7% increase in total players compared to 2022 as per aGamble sports betting offers report.
The data, compiled by the Angus Reid Group for the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association (FSGA), shows the industry continues to grow in popularity all across North America.
New Growth Suggests Player Engagement Is on the Rise
The research, unveiled at the FSGA Summer Conference in Cleveland, estimated handle and entry fees across fantasy sports, legal sports wagering and affiliated ancillary services totaled $102 billion.
Taking that overall figure, the study revealed the fantasy sports industry, which experienced 60% growth in entry fees in the six years since 2017, accounted for $11.5 billion.
What’s more, 60% of bettors and those playing fantasy sports pay for premium content or live sports packages and this increase across the industry suggests that players are more engaged.
The study also discovered the crossover between bettors and fantasy players has actually decreased from 59% to 45% year-over-year. This coincides with the number of exclusive fantasy players rising from 13% to 21% year-over-year while exclusive bettors have increased from 28% to 34% year-over-year.
What the Figures Suggest About North American Gaming Habits
Bettors and gamers are becoming more selective in their gaming preferences, it seems, and looking to discover games that are tailored to their interests. This is important for operators to know as they attempt to retain players on their platforms.
The data also revealed that more players are also migrating from offshore accounts to regulated ones, with a drop of 48% year-over-year in bettors using offshore accounts in legal markets.
The demographic of bettors and fantasy players across North America is predominantly younger males, the research found.
How the Findings Can Help Industry Progress
The study into legal sports wagering and fantasy sports can help the gambling sector focus on how to meet the needs of bettors. Operators must continue to create and develop new immersive and interactive games that match the preferences of their gamers in the modern age.
Daniel Haight, FSGA Research Committee Chair, was buoyed by the growth the industry has enjoyed and emphasized how key regulated, responsible gaming measures are with offshore activity decreasing.
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