A new survey, known as the American Sports Fanship Survey, highlights the increasing popularity of sports betting in the United States. This survey included over 3,000 respondents. It was conducted by the Siena Research Institute and St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication. The data found that 52% of men under 50 have at least one betting account. It shows that the majority of sports bettors are relatively young, which emphasizes the need for responsible gaming initiatives.
The data showed that while online sports betting continues to grow in popularity, concerns around player behavior are also increasing. A significant share of bettors report feeling they have wagered more than they should (42%, up from 37% in 2025), while 43% say they have felt bad or ashamed after losing a bet, also an increase from the previous year.
More notably, 15% of bettors say they have contacted a problem gambling helpline seeking help, rising from 9% in both 2024 and 2025. Awareness is also increasing, with 22% of respondents saying they know someone who has experienced issues with online sports betting, compared to 16% in 2025 and 15% in 2024.
The upward trend in self-reported problem gambling behaviors points to a growing need for more robust responsible gaming initiatives across the industry.
These findings reinforce calls for operators and regulators to strengthen tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion programs, while also improving visibility and accessibility of support resources.
Responsible gaming tools tend to be framed as a voluntary aspect of the sports betting experience. For example, they’re just attached to a user’s account data. That means that they won’t be used unless the user actively searches for them
While some sportsbooks have prompts that notify a user how much time they’ve spent, there needs to be more to help act as interventions for problem gambling.
Without expanded protections, the data suggests that the risks associated with online betting could continue to increase alongside its popularity.
In response to rising concerns, operators have begun rolling out more targeted responsible gaming measures. We’ve seen several states and operators ban credit card deposits, preventing players from gambling with borrowed funds and accumulating debt with high interest. This ban can help discourage impulsive gambling.
Operators are also expanding proactive tools and education initiatives. For example, FanDuel recently introduced its “Play with a Plan” program, which encourages users to set budgets, manage time spent on betting platforms, and access responsible gaming resources more easily.
The initiative reflects a broader shift toward embedding player protection features directly into the user experience rather than relying solely on external support systems. This is a necessary measure to combat the rise of problem gambling.
