Bettor Times Are Coming: $30B Will Legally Be Wagered During ’25 NFL Season
Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 02:56PM By Barry Janoff
August 28, 2025: As the late W.C. Fields infamously said, “I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted.”
People in the U.S. are expected to wager an estimated $30 billion during the upcoming 2025 NFL season through legal U.S. sportsbooks.
That represents an 8.5% increase over last season's revised estimated handle of $27.6 billion, according to the American Gaming Assn.
“This year's estimate is based on national handle growth to date in 2025 applied to last year's estimated NFL season total, along with football-specific reporting from select states used to calculate the share of wagers expected on professional football,” said the American Gaming Assn.
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have legal betting markets with licensed sportsbooks, according to the American Gaming Assn.
This past February, the American Gaming Assn. estimated that people in the U.S. legally wagered a record $1.39 billion on Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, “highlighting the continued expansion and enthusiasm around the legal sports betting market.”
While the $30 billion and $27.6 billion figures are substantial, they are overshadowed by estimates from previous years — some upward of three-to-five-times those figures — when the American Gaming Assn. also included in its total estimates a plethora of options other than “legal” available tš wagerers, with such unregulated options as bookmakers and wagers among friends, family and co-workers.
"This season, fans have more ways than ever to responsibly engage with the game they love,” Bill Miller, American Gaming Assn. president and CEO, said via the organization.
“Legal sports betting enhances the fun and friendly competition that make NFL games and traditions even more special.”
American Gaming Assn. is reminding bettors to “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly,” a national campaign that remains central to encouraging responsible sports betting.
According to Miller, “With strong consumer protections and a shared commitment to responsibility, the legal, regulated sports betting industry encourages all football fans to have a game plan before placing a bet and ensure their game day experience — regardless of the outcome of a bet or the game — remains enjoyable."
Sports wagering on pro teams and college sports has produced a serious situation that leagues, teams and governing bodies are confronting.
The issue has two main problems: People who wager on sports and lose and then use social media to harass players and/or student athletes associated with their wagers; and people who wager on sports beyond their financial means. 
This past June, seeking to balance its legal numerous sports wagering alliances with a responsible gaming platform, the NFL has unveiled a partnership with the International Center for Responsible Gaming to “address growing concerns around gambling behaviors among college athletes and students.”
The NFL Foundation will contribute $600,000 over three years to support “independent, peer-reviewed research being led by the ICRG that aims to explore the prevalence, risk factors, and impacts of gambling behaviors in these populations.”
According to the NFL and ICRG, “While initial studies have indicated that college athletes may be at higher risk for gambling problems, there remains a lack of comprehensive, current data on how college populations interact with online sports betting platforms.”
Also in June, a report from the Hologic WTA Tour and the International Tennis Federation that found between January-December 2024, 1.6 million posts and comments analyzed by Threat Matrix AI “verified 8,000 posts/comments sent from 4,200 accounts as abusive, violent or threatening.
“Angry gamblers increasingly targeting players — notably via direct messages — sent 40% of all detected abuse across the year,” according to the WTA report.
MGM Resorts International and BetMGM are again partnering with the American Gaming Assn. to promote Responsible Gaming Education Month in September.
For the third consecutive year, GameSense messaging will appear in select NFL stadiums on LED ribbons, on stadium scoreboards during pre-game activities and also within game day magazines.
GameSense messaging will be promoted in:
• Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders)
• Empower Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos)
• Ford Field (Detroit Lions)
• GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)
• Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles)
• M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
• MetLife Stadium (New York Jets)
• Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans)
• State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals)
An American Gaming Assn. "American Attitudes Survey" showed that “75% of Americans support legal sports wagering in their home state, 90% view sports betting as an acceptable form of entertainment, and 66% of Americans believe the gaming industry’s responsible-gaming programs are effective.”
“These latest survey results highlight a consistent trend over the years: as gaming expands to new audiences,” Joe Maloney, American Gaming Assn. svp-strategic communication, said via the group.
“Americans increasingly see the benefits of a legal, regulated gaming marketplace that contributes to communities, prioritizes responsibility and provides unmatched entertainment.”
Based on its most recent numbers, the American Gaming Assn. said legal gaming has a $329 billion impact on the annual national economy and generates $53 billion annually in tax revenue.
NFL Joins With Group For Responsible Gaming Among College Athletes, Students
AGA: People In U.S. Will Legally Wager $1.39B On Super Bowl LIX
NCAA Efforts Lead To Decline In Betting-Related Harassment Of Student-Athletes
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