The NFL is the league that pays the most in football wagering in the United States. The 2024 season begins on Thursday, September 5, and evidence indicates that gamblers will increase the frequency of their football wagers this year, which might be excellent news for sportsbook operators.

71% of gamblers surveyed in Optimove's "Insights 2024–25 Consumer Reports on NFL Wagering Intentions" study say they plan to wager on more NFL games each week this year, up from 63% last year. The research firm projects that the number of bettors who put "several" NFL wagers each week will increase from 37% in 2023 to 43% in 2024. The majority of NFL bettors can be divided into three main groups based on the size of their wagers; very few make very little or very large bets.

“Almost three in ten NFL bettors (32%) wager from $11 to $50 on a single bet. At either extreme of a bell-shaped curve of wagers is $1 to $5 at 5% of NFL gamblers, and 5% who wager more than $500 on a single bet,” notes Optimove.

It should come as no surprise that the majority of football gamblers surveyed by Optimove (81%) place their wagers using computer websites or mobile applications.

Perhaps There Is Hope for Further Operators

There is no doubt that Flutter Entertainment's FanDuel and DraftKings control a monopoly in the US sports wagering market, but the Optimove survey identified some possible bright areas for the operators that lag the "big two."  68% of bettors use at least three apps each week, according to the research.

“While Draft Kings (24%) and Fanduel (22%) were the top two branded name sites identified and preferred by NFL bettors, it must be noted that in 2023, our survey revealed that 23% of sports bettors said that they have no preference. It underscores that brand loyalty is fleeting in NFL sportsbooks,” adds the research firm.

According to Optimove, gamblers prioritize bonuses, free bets, and convenience of use over branding when choosing which mobile apps to use. It should come as no surprise that a lot of bettors are superstitious. 42 percent of participants informed Optimove that they believed their luck had run out, which was the main reason they had quit using a specific mobile betting app.

The fact that 85% of bettors intend to test in-game or live gambling during this football season is another positive indicator for gaming companies ahead of the 2024 football season. American football is a good sport for live betting because of its many stoppages in play, but bookmakers must have the technology to meet the needs of their consumers or risk losing them.

Football Gamblers Seeking to Remain Moderate

The Optimove study reveals that some bettors are making an effort to practice self-control as the 2024 football season approaches, despite research suggesting credit scores are dropping in areas that permit mobile sports betting and others demonstrating bettors selling investments to finance their wagering habits.

Ninety percent of individuals surveyed claimed to have a football betting budget, though it's not clear if those budgets are fixed before the season starts, on a monthly or weekly basis, or both. However, over two thirds of those surveyed said that they might wager more on an NFL game this season than they can afford to lose.

Fortunately, there are resources available to assist bettors who are having problems with their gambling. However, some experts feel that governments should do a better job of advertising these services.

“According to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Executive Director Keith Whyte, states have not been aggressive in setting protections for citizens. For sportsbooks, it may place an onus on them to help identify and help bettors gamble responsibly. And it appears that sportsbook operators have stepped up. Of respondents, ninety-four percent (94%) felt their sports betting site has good responsible gambling practices in place,” concludes Optimove.