The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that Americans will wager a record $1.76 billion legally on Super Bowl LX. This figure reflects the continued growth and strength of the legal, state- and tribal-regulated sports betting market.
“No single event brings fans together like the Super Bowl, and this record figure shows just how much Americans enjoy sports betting as part of the experience. By choosing legal, regulated sportsbooks, fans are having fun while supporting a safe and responsible market,” said Bill Miller, AGA President and CEO.
A new AGA study shows that prediction markets are confusing consumers by promoting sports betting as an investment rather than entertainment, underscoring concerns about how these products are marketed and their lack of responsible gaming tools.
Confusion Around Regulatory Oversight
78% of sports event contract bettors believe state regulators could assist in resolving disputes on their platform, even though prediction markets operate entirely outside state sports betting regulatory frameworks. These findings underscore widespread confusion among sports event contract users on the regulatory oversight governing prediction markets.
Perceptions of Gambling and Investment
Sports event contract bettors are three times more likely than sportsbook bettors to frame their trading as an investment: 28% of sports event contract bettors describe their activity as investing, compared to 9% of sportsbook users.
Additionally:
• 31% of sports event contract bettors report encountering trading or investing comparisons in platform messaging, versus 7% among sportsbook users.
• 25% of sports event contract bettors report funding activity from their investment budget, compared to only 9% of sportsbook users.
• Though more than a quarter of sports event contract bettors believe they are investing, most sports event contract users (58%) still view the activity as gambling, suggesting at least some users distinguish between platform messaging and underlying risk.
Access to Responsible Gaming Tools
Only 28% of sports event contract bettors say responsible gaming tools are easy to find on their platform, compared to 58% of sportsbook users, reflecting substantially lower visibility and accessibility of safeguards on prediction market platforms.
“This research reinforces why state- and tribal-regulated sportsbooks are critical, offering strong oversight and consumer protections that prediction markets simply do not match,” added Miller.
