Legal Sports Betting Gives NFL Ratings A Solid Boost

• NFL ratings are up by six percent for the first half of the season.
• Legal sports betting is partially credited for the boosted NFL ratings.
• The NFL has also embraced sports betting as well.

NEW YORK – The NFL has received a solid boost in viewership for the first half of the season thanks to legal sports betting.

The audience for the first half of the NFL season has grown by six percent. According to NFL Media, the increase has added over 16.2 million viewers compared to last year. The total viewership thanks to this boost is around 157 million total viewers watching NFL games.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) knew that sports betting would be good for NFL viewership. In September, the AGA released a study showing that 75% of bettors are more likely to watch a game they bet on. This is likely due to the fact that bettors want to see the result of the games they wager on as soon as possible.

It is not just sports betting that has increased viewership for NFL games. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) are also helping increase the viewership of NFL games. People who participate in DFS leagues want to know if their players have performed well. This causes more people to watch NFL games live.

“As FanDuel has demonstrably shown over the past decade, when consumers engage with fantasy sports, they consume more sports content. We see the same pattern with sports betting, specifically in markets where sports betting has been legalized,” said Mike Raffensperger, chief marketing officer of FanDuel.

The NFL also receives some credit for the increase of viewership. The league has changed their rules and are allowing teams to make deals with sports betting providers. For example, the Philadelphia Eagles are now partners with Unibet. The Pittsburgh Steelers have also joined forces with FanDuel in a similar partnership.

There are currently eight states that have active legal sports betting right now. Five more states have also legalized sports betting but they have not launched yet. As more states open sportsbooks, the viewership for NFL games and other sports will continue to increase.

News tags: American Gaming Association | FanDuel | Mike Raffensperger | NFL | Philadelphia Eagles | Pittsburgh Steelers | Unibet