Gambling on NFL games sees another decline

According to figures reported by Nevada Gaming Control $308.5 million wagered across both NFL and NCAA (college) American football during the month of September. These figures mark a year on year contraction of about $6 million despite other factors such as the number of games and participating teams remaining largely unchanged.

In 2015 the total amount of sports betting in the state was estimated at around $4.2 billion across Nevada’s 190 registered sportsbooks. Of this Pro and collegiate football together took the lion’s share of betting activity with a total of around $1.6 billion last year. While this is still a note worthy figure it is a marked decrease from the $1.7 billion figure that bookies reported for the same period in 2014; a staggering reduction in revenue to the tune of over $100 million in just a single year.

While one decline could be shaken off as nothing more than a coincidence a multiple year on year slide in revenue is far more indicative of a trend. Is this a sign that the NFL betting bubble has burst? Most bookies are currently favouring a ‘wait and watch’ approach, but the signs (and the balance sheets) are not a source of encouragement. It’s hard to say what exactly is the cause for the reducing interest in football betting. The American love affair with all things sports has persevered through the toughest of times but it seems that for football, this affair may be over.

For bookies the hope is that this is simply a shift away from football and the NFL in particular due in part to a few lacklustre seasons with no real standout heroes or villains taking the field to lead their teams to exciting close-run victories. It should be noted that the impact on collegiate level games such as the NCAAF division 1 have not experienced the same drop in betting activity as their pro league counterparts. In the end, while the news is not as good as we’d hope, it’s likely not as bad as we fear. Despite the setbacks bookies have seen with NFL betting, other sports such as basketball are breaking records; so perhaps Americans are not gambling less, just gambling differently.