Americans legally wagered a record $166.94 billion on sports in 2025, up 11.0% year over year (American Gaming Association, 2025 Commercial Gaming Revenue, 2026). That handle produced $16.96 billion in operator revenue, a 22.8% jump, and $3.71 billion in state and local betting taxes, up 32.4% (American Gaming Association, 2026). Legal betting now runs in 39 states plus Washington DC, roughly 30 of which allow statewide mobile wagering (Fox Sports, 2026; Tax Foundation, 2025). Yet the same year saw public sentiment sour, with 43% of adults calling legal betting bad for society (Pew Research Center, 2025), and a fast-growing prediction-market channel begin siphoning volume from regulated sportsbooks (CoinDesk, 2026). This analysis consolidates data from the American Gaming Association, Pew Research Center, the National Council on Problem Gambling, the US Census Bureau, the Tax Foundation, and 8 other primary sources to map where the money, the players, and the risks sit in 2026.
TL;DR
- US sports betting handle hit a record $166.94 billion in 2025, up 11.0% (American Gaming Association, 2026).
- Operator revenue reached $16.96 billion, up 22.8%, the fastest-growing major gaming segment (American Gaming Association, 2026).
- Sports betting taxes rose 32.4% to $3.71 billion for states and localities (American Gaming Association, 2026).
- Legal betting operates in 39 states plus DC; about 30 to 32 allow statewide mobile apps (Fox Sports, 2026; Tax Foundation, 2025).
- Online and mobile now account for roughly 95% of all handle, with 80%+ placed on phones (Covers/Sportsbook Review trackers, 2025).
- DraftKings and FanDuel together hold about 67.8% of US handle as of March 2026 (Casino Reports, 2026).
- 22% of US adults bet on sports in the past year, up from 19% in 2022 (Pew Research Center, 2025).
- Nearly 20 million US adults reported a problematic gambling behavior many times in 2024, down from 27.5 million in 2021 (NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025).
- Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket crossed $50 billion in combined monthly volume during the June 2026 World Cup (CoinDesk, 2026).
- Americans were projected to wager a record $1.76 billion legally on Super Bowl LX, up 26.6% year over year (American Gaming Association, 2026).
1. Market Size and Revenue
Sports betting is now the fastest-growing slice of a record US gaming industry. Total US commercial gaming revenue reached $78.72 billion in 2025, a sixth straight record year, and sports betting revenue grew more than 10 times faster than traditional casino gaming (American Gaming Association, 2026). The gap between the AGA’s $166.94 billion handle figure and the roughly $165 billion aggregated from 35 state regulators reflects definitional differences, not a data error, since the AGA tracker folds in every commercial jurisdiction it monitors. Global forecasts vary widely by firm, so treat any single market-size projection as a directional estimate rather than a precise count. Full 2025 figures come from the American Gaming Association Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US sports betting handle, 2025 | $166.94B (+11.0%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| US sports betting revenue, 2025 | $16.96B (+22.8%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| Total US commercial gaming revenue, 2025 | $78.72B (+9.2%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| US iGaming revenue, 2025 | $10.74B (+27.6%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| Average sportsbook win/hold rate, 2025 | 9.7% (record high) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| Super Bowl LX legal handle estimate | $1.76B (+26.6% YoY) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| Global sports betting market, 2026 | $123.4B to $126.5B | Fortune Business Insights / Grand View Research, 2026 |
Outlier note: The $1.76 billion Super Bowl estimate excludes bets on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which are federally regulated (American Gaming Association, 2026).
2. Legalization and the State Map
Legalization has plateaued in count but keeps deepening in format. Since the Supreme Court struck down the federal betting ban (PASPA) in May 2018, national sports betting tax revenue soared 382%, from $190 million in Q3 2021 to $917 million in Q2 2025 (US Census Bureau, 2025). The bigger structural shift is channel: online and mobile now dominate almost completely, which is why states without statewide apps capture only a sliver of the money even when retail betting is legal. That mobile-first reality mirrors the broader shift documented in our mobile app usage statistics. State-by-state tax detail is maintained by the Tax Foundation and the US Census Bureau.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| States with legal sports betting, 2026 | 39 + Washington DC | Fox Sports, 2026 |
| States permitting statewide online/mobile | ~30 to 32 | Tax Foundation, 2025 |
| Online share of total US handle | ~95% | Covers / Sportsbook Review trackers, 2025 |
| Handle placed via mobile apps | 80%+ | Covers / Sportsbook Review trackers, 2025 |
| National sports betting tax revenue, Q2 2025 | $917M (+382% vs Q3 2021) | US Census Bureau, 2025 |
| Lowest state tax rate | 6.75% (Nevada, Iowa) | Tax Foundation, 2025 |
| Highest state tax rate | 51% (NY, NH, Oregon, RI) | Tax Foundation, 2025 |
Context note: Illinois moved from a flat 15% tax to a graduated 20% to 40% rate effective January 2025, one of several recent state rate hikes (US Census Bureau, 2025).
3. State Leaders and Tax Concentration
A handful of large states carry the national totals. New York alone accounted for almost 16% of all US handle in 2025, with bettors wagering more than $26 billion, and contributed about 36% of every sports betting tax dollar collected nationwide (Sports Handle, 2026; RG.org, 2026). New York’s outsized tax share is a direct product of its 51% rate, the highest in the country, layered on the largest handle, so revenue concentration is even more extreme than betting concentration. The clustering matters for anyone modeling the market: a small number of mature states, not the long tail, set the trend. Full-year state rankings are compiled by Sports Handle.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New York handle, 2025 | $26.0B (15.8% share) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| Illinois handle, 2025 | $15.5B (9.4% share) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| New Jersey handle, 2025 | $12.2B (7.4% share) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| Top 3 states’ share of US handle | ~one-third of all wagers | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| Nine mid-tier states’ combined handle | $72B (43.6% of wagers) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| New York sports betting taxes to state, 2025 | $1.3B (~36% of US total) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| New York December 2025 handle | $2.39B (GGR $260.4M) | RG.org, 2026 |
Concentration note: The top 12 states together generated more than 76.5% of all US wagers in 2025 (Sports Handle, 2026).
4. Operators: The FanDuel and DraftKings Duopoly
Two brands still own the market, though the duopoly is loosening. DraftKings and FanDuel together controlled about 67.8% of US handle as of March 2026, down from historical highs near 75% (Casino Reports, 2026). The split diverges by metric: DraftKings leads on volume (handle) while FanDuel leads on gross gaming revenue, a sign FanDuel monetizes each dollar wagered more efficiently. No single challenger has filled the gap, keeping the third-place field fragmented. The overlap with competitive gaming audiences shows up in our esports statistics. Company results come from the DraftKings 2025 annual report and the Flutter 2025 Annual Report.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings + FanDuel combined handle share, Mar 2026 | ~67.8% | Casino Reports, 2026 |
| DraftKings handle share / FanDuel handle share | 35.8% / 32.0% | Casino Reports, 2026 |
| FanDuel GGR share / DraftKings GGR share | 37.1% / 35.8% | Casino Reports, 2026 |
| BetMGM / Fanatics / Caesars handle share | 9.8% / 7.3% / 5.3% | Casino Reports, 2026 |
| DraftKings full-year 2025 revenue | $6.05B (+27%) | DraftKings 10-K, 2026 |
| DraftKings Q4 2025 monthly unique payers | 4.8M (ARPMUP $139) | DraftKings, 2026 |
| Flutter full-year 2025 revenue (global) | $16.38B; 15.9M avg monthly players | Flutter Annual Report, 2026 |
| Flutter US Q4 2025 revenue | $3.2B (+33%) | Flutter Annual Report, 2026 |
Efficiency note: DraftKings’ Q4 2025 revenue grew 43% year over year to $1.99 billion even as average monthly payers held roughly flat, meaning growth came from spend per user, not new users (DraftKings, 2026).
5. Who Bets: Demographics and Attitudes
Betting is a young, male-skewed activity, and opinion is turning against it fastest among the people closest to it. 22% of US adults bet on sports in the past year, but 47% of men under 30, a core betting demographic, now say legal sports betting is bad for society, up from just 22% in 2022 (Pew Research Center, 2025). That backlash from young men is the single sharpest attitude swing in the data and complicates the industry’s growth narrative. Participation still runs highest among the youngest adults and among Black and Hispanic adults. These media and attitude patterns connect to our Gen Z media statistics and video streaming statistics. Survey detail is published by Pew Research Center and the Siena College Research Institute.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US adults who bet on sports, past year | 22% (up from 19% in 2022) | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Adults 18-29 who bet on sports | 31% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Men vs women who bet on sports | 25% vs 19% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Black / Hispanic / White adults who bet | 30% / 27% / 19% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Adults who say betting is bad for society | 43% (up from 34% in 2022) | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Men under 30 who say betting is bad for society | 47% (up from 22%) | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Men 18-49 with an online sportsbook account | 48% | Siena College Research Institute, 2025 |
| NFL share of all US betting handle | Sportsboom, 2025 |
Survey note: The Pew figures draw on 9,916 US adults surveyed July to August 2025, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.3 points (Pew Research Center, 2025).
6. Prediction Markets: The New Frontier
A federally regulated alternative is scaling faster than anything in the licensed market. Combined monthly volume on Kalshi and Polymarket jumped from under $5 billion in September 2025 to more than $50 billion during the June 2026 World Cup, with sports contracts making up roughly 85% of Kalshi’s activity (CoinDesk, 2026). Because these exchanges are CFTC-regulated and legal nationwide, they sidestep the state-by-state licensing and 51% tax rates that constrain traditional books, which is why the AGA flags them as a direct revenue threat. Whether they are counted as betting at all remains a live regulatory question. Sources: CoinDesk and CBS Sports.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi + Polymarket monthly volume, Sept 2025 | Under $5B | CoinDesk, 2026 |
| Kalshi + Polymarket monthly volume, April 2026 | $24B | CoinDesk, 2026 |
| Kalshi + Polymarket monthly volume, June 2026 | $50B+ | CoinDesk, 2026 |
| Kalshi June 2026 notional volume | $31B (+70% vs May) | CoinDesk, 2026 |
| Sports share of Kalshi volume | ~85% (June 2026) | CoinDesk, 2026 |
| States where Kalshi is legal | All 50 + DC (CFTC-regulated) | CBS Sports, 2026 |
| Est. betting tax revenue diverted to prediction markets | $500M+ to date | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
Context note: Kalshi reported that roughly 87% of the $39.7 billion it traded over the prior year was on sports as of February 2026 (Sporting Goods Intelligence, 2026).
7. Responsible Gaming and Problem Gambling
The public-health picture eased slightly off pandemic peaks but stays elevated, and help-seeking is climbing. Nearly 20 million US adults reported at least one problematic gambling behavior many times in 2024, down from 27.5 million in 2021 but still above 2018 levels (NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025; most recent available). Risk is heavily concentrated by age and behavior type: parlay betting, which carries worse odds, nearly doubled among sports bettors to 30%. Rising helpline volume suggests both greater harm and greater awareness. If you or someone you know needs help, the national helpline is 1-800-GAMBLER. Data is reported by the National Council on Problem Gambling and its youth exposure survey.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US adults with problematic gambling behavior, 2024 | ~20M (down from 27.5M in 2021) | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| Adults reporting risky behavior many times | 8% in 2024 (vs 7% 2018, 11% 2021) | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| Sports bettors reporting problems | 17% (fantasy sports: 24%) | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| Parlay betting among sports bettors | 30% in 2024 (up from 17% in 2018) | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| Risky-behavior rate, ages 18-34 vs 55+ | 15% vs 2% | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| Adults who gambled before age 21 | 65% (23% placed a sports bet) | NCPG / Harris Poll, 2026 |
| 1-800-GAMBLER monthly contacts, 2025 | 31,000+ (call traffic +34%) | PlayUSA / NCPG, 2025 |
Trend note: The NGAGE 3.0 survey found callers to the helpline are getting younger and more racially diverse, with online gambling nearly matching casinos as a reported source of harm (NCPG, 2025).
Summary: Sports Betting by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US sports betting handle, 2025 | $166.94B (+11.0%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| US sports betting revenue, 2025 | $16.96B (+22.8%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| US sports betting taxes, 2025 | $3.71B (+32.4%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| Total US commercial gaming revenue, 2025 | $78.72B (+9.2%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| States with legal sports betting | 39 + DC | Fox Sports, 2026 |
| Online share of handle | ~95% | Covers / Sportsbook Review, 2025 |
| Average sportsbook hold rate | 9.7% (record) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| National tax revenue growth since Q3 2021 | +382% (to $917M in Q2 2025) | US Census Bureau, 2025 |
| Highest state tax rate | 51% (NY, NH, Oregon, RI) | Tax Foundation, 2025 |
| New York share of US handle | ~16% ($26.0B) | Sports Handle, 2026 |
| DraftKings + FanDuel combined handle share | ~67.8% | Casino Reports, 2026 |
| DraftKings full-year 2025 revenue | $6.05B (+27%) | DraftKings 10-K, 2026 |
| Flutter full-year 2025 revenue | $16.38B | Flutter Annual Report, 2026 |
| US adults who bet on sports | 22% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Adults saying betting is bad for society | 43% | Pew Research Center, 2025 |
| Prediction markets monthly volume, June 2026 | $50B+ | CoinDesk, 2026 |
| Super Bowl LX legal handle estimate | $1.76B (+26.6%) | American Gaming Association, 2026 |
| US adults with problematic gambling behavior | ~20M | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| Parlay betting among sports bettors | 30% | NCPG, NGAGE 3.0, 2025 |
| 1-800-GAMBLER monthly contacts, 2025 | 31,000+ | PlayUSA / NCPG, 2025 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered from primary industry reports, regulator filings, public opinion surveys, company annual reports, and government tax datasets published between 2024 and 2026, prioritizing full-year 2025 figures and cross-referencing market totals across two or more sources where estimates diverged.
- American Gaming Association, Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker (2025 full-year data, released 2026)
- American Gaming Association, Super Bowl LX Wagering Estimate (2026)
- Pew Research Center, Americans and Legal Sports Betting (2025)
- National Council on Problem Gambling, NGAGE 3.0 National Survey (2025)
- National Council on Problem Gambling / The Harris Poll, Youth Gambling Exposure Survey (2026)
- US Census Bureau, Quarterly Summary of State and Local Tax Revenue (2025)
- Tax Foundation, Online Sports Betting Taxes (2025)
- Sports Handle, US Sports Betting 2025 Record Handle and Revenue (2026)
- Casino Reports, US Sports Betting Market Share Database (2026)
- DraftKings, 2025 Annual Report / Form 10-K (2026)
- Flutter Entertainment, 2025 Annual Report and Accounts (2026)
- CoinDesk, Prediction Markets World Cup Volume Report (2026)
- CBS Sports, Prediction Market Legal Status by State (2026)
- Siena College Research Institute, Online Sports Betting Survey (2025)
- Fox Sports, Where Sports Betting Is Legal (2026)
- Fortune Business Insights, Sports Betting Market Report (2026)
- PlayUSA, NCPG 2025 Helpline and Responsible Gaming Data (2025)
Data watch: Several anchor sources refresh on predictable cycles. The American Gaming Association issues quarterly revenue tracker updates plus an annual Super Bowl estimate each January or February, so its 2026 full-year totals are due in early 2027. Pew Research Center repeats its sports betting attitudes survey roughly every three years, and the National Council on Problem Gambling runs its NGAGE survey on a similar multi-year cadence, making a next wave likely by 2027. The US Census Bureau publishes state and local tax data quarterly, and DraftKings and Flutter report earnings every quarter.
Last updated: July 17, 2026. We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.