Americans are among the most sports-mad populations in the world, and where sport is popular betting usually follows. Today the US sports betting business is worth some $166 billion annually, and millions of Americans place sports bets on a regular basis. But what are the most popular sports for bettors?
Number one the list (and a clear leader at that) probably won’t be a surprise – but the sheer scale of the market just might be. The rest of the list is a lot less clear, and some sports might remain more popular than you think. Especially for bettors, where TV audience figures don’t always correlate to betting opportunity.
1. American Football (NFL) Reigns Supreme
No surprises with this one. The NFL is not only the most viewed sport in the US by some distance, but also the most wagered on. Bettors across the US put down some $30 billion across the 2025 NFL season. That was up 8.5% on the year before.
The American Gaming Association estimated that more than $1.39 billion was wagered on that year’s Super Bowl alone. Globally, and at international sites, the total would have been multiples more.
The upshot of all that, is you’ll find NFL games available to wager on when placing a sports bet at any reputable online sportsbook from America to Zimbabwe.
Top betting operators will also offer odds boosts and other bonuses tailored to popular sports, all accessible on desktop and mobile.
2. Basketball is a Close Second
Although no single research group even tries to track the total of all NBA betting across the US, estimates are possible. New Jersey ranks its sports betting operators handle and income by sports each year.
In 2025, basketball accounted for around 20% of all sports bets in the Garden State – at $2.7 billion in yearly handle. Extrapolating that 20% to the total US handle would give a figure of around $24 billion.
While that is a rough estimate, it does show you how much Americans love betting on basketball. As well as the NBA that number would include the yearly NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Tournament aka March Madness, which is known to be a massive sports betting draw. It accounted for $3.3 billion in betting alone in 2026.
3. Baseball has Long Been Popular with Sports Bettors
Baseball has been popular with US sports bettors for many decades. Long before online betting was even a
n idea. According to some industry estimates around 58% of US sports bettors at least occasionally bet on the MLB, compared to around 29% of US adults who follow baseball regularly.
In New Jersey it was the third most popular sports in 2025, bringing in $1.3 billion or around 10% of the state’s total. That would account for somewhere around $12 billion wagered on baseball over the year.
Major League Baseball may not pull in the TV numbers or the NFL or the NBA, but it packs in a lot of games – 162 for each team in just the regular season. There is a huge amount of data points for fans and bettors to draw from. It is also a slow-paced sport that is suitable for watching on a second screen or in the background, as you keep track of other bets.
4. College Football is a Uniquely American Betting Experience
College football betting is also difficult to track nationally. New Jersey’s gambling regulator includes it under football. That’s despite it being the birthplace of college football at Rutgers. Nevertheless other estimates have placed it at around 5% of US monthly betting handle.
What is known is that TV and stadium audiences are massive. Networks averaged many millions of viewers on official broadcasts and online polls have suggested as many as 29% of American adults regularly watch the college football season.
Sports betting on college ‘ball is often more about supporting teams or rooting against your rivals, over sharps looking for the most value on the moneyline. There’s less data points for college football players than in the NFL and games are much more unpredictable, so bettors and fans tend to engage with the games on a more emotional level.
5. Ice Hockey is a Fast-Paced, Data-Heavy Game for Bettors
The NHL isn’t anywhere near competing on views with the NFL, the NBA or even the MLB. However, hockey fans are loyal and they pack out their stadiums on a regular basis. In 2025 more than 23 million fans attended matches in person across the season.
Research from S&P Global found that around 17% of US adults follow the NHL in some capacity. However among sports bettors that rose to 27%.
The NHL is well suited to sports betting because it has a mix of simple and complicated betting variables. Games are short and fast, but low scoring. Teams are small, but have roster depth. Games cannot be ties, but overtime is often extra unpredictable.
Historically it has accounted for around 5% of betting handle. However, like the popularity of ice hockey more generally, that varies by state and can’t really be extrapolated to a national picture. Nevertheless, its likely Americans wager at least hundreds of millions of dollars on the NHL each year.
