$3.1bn Predicted in March Madness Bets
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has predicted that more than 17% of all American adults plan to bet on March Madness 2022, with a total of $3.1 billion expected to be put down on the games. The group conducted a survey of 2,210 adults across a wide range of ages, races, ethnicities, education and locations.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has predicted that more than 17% of all American adults plan to bet on March Madness 2022, with a potential $3.1 billion to be wagered on the games. ©12019/Pixabay
Gonzaga Picked As Favorite to Win Tournament by Those Surveyed
America’s main gaming industry association and lobby, the American Gaming Association (AGA), has released a survey in which it predicts more than 17% of all American adults plan to bet on the March Madness 2022 basketball tournament, with a total of $3.1 billion expected to be wagered on games.
The group surveyed a total of 2,210 American adults spanning a wide range of ages, races, ethnicities, education and locations, finding that 45 million adults are planning to wager on the NCAA college basketball tournament. The event officially began on March 13th, 2022 with Selection Sunday and will run all the way through to April 4th, 2022.
Out of all those who were surveyed, 20.9 million said they expect to wager outside of bracket contests. This means that they will place bets at an online or retail sportsbook, through a bookie, or simply with friends.
Meanwhile, 36.5 million people plan to bet via a bracket contest or similar pool. The AGA’s survey also revealed that 17% of bettors chose Gonzaga as their pick to win the tournament, coming well ahead of Duke with 12% and Kentucky with 11%.
29 Million More Americans Can Bet Legally Now Since Last March Madness
A significant contributing factor as to why so many Americans plan to bet on March Madness in 2022 is the simple fact that, since last year’s tournament, 29 million more American adults are now able to legally wager in their home state.
States such as Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming have all launched their respective legal sports betting markets in the past 12 months.
This reality prompted AGA president and chief executive Bill Miller to note that Americans clearly want to bet on sports through legal and regulated channels:
“Americans continue to make it clear: they want to wager with the protections of the legal, regulated market. There’s no doubt this year will generate the highest legal handle in March Madness history.”– Bill Miller, President and Chief Executive, American Gaming Association (AGA)
He went onto remind March Madness bettors to bet responsibly by setting themselves a budget, educating themselves on the odds and, of course, continuing to bet via legal means:
“There’s nothing more thrilling in sports than the magic of March Madness. If you’re getting in on the action, have your game plan to bet responsibly. That means setting a budget, keeping it fun, learning the odds and playing legally.”
Penn National Joined AGA Public Service Campaign in January 2022
The American Gaming Association (AGA) is naturally a big proponent of safer gambling, even going so far as to recently launch the ‘Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly’ public service campaign. In January 2022, Penn National Gaming (PNG) became the latest operator to throw its support behind the initiative.
The campaign was initially launched by the AGA in September 2021 but is actually an extension of the ‘Have A Game Plan’ project that first went live in late 2019. The project’s goal is to make sports fans aware of responsible and safe sports betting, focusing on aspects such as responsible wagering, keeping betting social, knowing the odds, and only wagering through trusted, regulated operators.
Penn National Gaming (PNG) now promotes ‘Have A Game Plan’ responsible sports betting content on its Barstool Sportsbook digital platforms and social media accounts and has activated the campaign in all of its retail sportsbook locations across the country.
Head of interactive at Penn National Gaming, Jon Kaplowitz, reminded observers that responsible gaming is at the center of Penn’s mission:
“Responsible gaming is core to our sports betting operations, and we’re thrilled to extend these efforts through our partnership with the AGA’s Have A Game Plan initiative. Our customers are sports fans first, and this campaign will allow us to educate everyone, whether they are new to sports betting or seasoned bettors, on how to wager responsibly in a fan-friendly way.”– Jon Kaplowitz, Head of Interactive, Penn National Gaming (PNG)
AGA Also Predicted Record NFL Betting Back in September 2021
Back in September 2021, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released another set of interesting survey results, showing that a record 45.2 million Americans planned to wager on the upcoming National Football League (NFL) season at the time.
These numbers were a 36% increase when compared to 2020’s NFL season. And just like with the most recent March Madness 2022 numbers, a big factor here was clearly the increased availability of sports betting across the United States.
AGA president Bill Miller took the opportunity to remind the NFL of its commitment to ensuring safer gambling provisions for its fans:
“Fans are the heartbeat of professional sports, and leagues like the NFL are realizing the full potential of sports betting to drive fan engagement. To capitalize on this tremendous opportunity, the NFL and its 32 teams must also realize their responsibility to educate fans and promote responsible gaming.”
