Sports Gambling - Social Attitudes Toward Sports Gambling

The popularity of sports gambling is attributed to several factors—a growing acceptance of gambling in general, intense media coverage of sporting events, and emerging technologies that make wagering easier. Sporting events are increasingly broadcast through an array of media sources. There are entire television networks dedicated solely to sports. Americans can pick up a wide variety of sporting events from around the world via local and cable television stations, satellite services, and even the Internet. Cellular phone users can have the latest scores sent right to their wireless phones. Sports bars and restaurants are also popular. These establishments feature multiple television sets tuned into various sporting events.

In December 2003 the Gallup Organization conducted its annual lifestyle poll. Participants were asked if they had participated within the previous twelve months in various forms of gambling. As shown in Figure 2.1 in Chapter 2, nearly half of those asked (49%) had purchased a state lottery ticket, while 30% had visited a casino, 15% had played bingo for money, and 14% had played video poker. The percentages for sports gambling were much lower. Only 10% had bet on a professional sporting event, and 6% had bet on college sports. Another 4% said they had bet on a horse race, and 2% had bet on a boxing match. Table 8.1 shows trends over time reported by Gallup for these sports gambling activities. In 2003 participation was historically low in every category.

The most recent national poll conducted to determine American attitudes about gambling was performed during April and May 1999 by the Gallup Organization. The poll was conducted among 1,523 adults (aged eighteen and up) and 501 teenagers (aged thirteen to seventeen). At that time, 64% of the adults and 52% of the teenagers approved of legalized gambling in general. The participants were asked several questions about their participation in and attitudes about sports gambling. It is not clear how much of the adult

TABLE 8.1

Participation in sports gambling within the previous 12 months, March 2004
*Less than 0.5%
SOURCE: Jeffrey M. Jones, "Gambling Activity in the United States," in Gambling a Common Activity for Americans, The Gallup Organization, March 24, 2004, http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=11098 (accessed September 26, 2004). Copyright © 2004 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.
Bet on a professional sports event such as baseball, basketball, or football
	Yes %	No %	No opinion %
2003 Dec 11–14	10	90	*
1999 Apr 30–May 23	13	87	—
1996 Jun 27–30	10	90	—
1992 Nov 20–22	12	88	—
1990 Feb 15–18	21	79	—
1989 Apr 4–9	22	78	—
Bet on a college sports event such as basketball or football
	Yes %	No %	No opinion %
2003 Dec 11–14	6	94	*
1999 Apr 30–May 23	9	91	—
1996 Jun 27–30	7	93	—
1992 Nov 20–22	6	94	—
1990 Feb 15–18	11	89	—
1989 Apr 4–9	14	86	—
Bet on a boxing match
	Yes %	No %	No opinion %
2003 Dec 11–14	2	98	*
1996 Jun 27–30	3	97	*
1992 Nov 20–22	6	94	—
1990 Feb 15–18	5	95	—
1989 Apr 4–9	8	92	—
Participated in an office pool on the World Series, Superbowl, or other game
	Yes %	No %	No opinion %
2003 Dec 11–14	15	85	*
1999 Apr 30–May 23	25	75	—
1996 Jun 27–30	23	77	—
1992 Nov 20–22	22	78	—

gambling discussed in the poll is legal and how much is illegal. However, most (if not all) gambling conducted by the teenaged respondents must be illegal because they are younger than eighteen, the lowest legal gambling age in most states for any type of sports gambling.

Only 9% of adults said they had bet on a horse or dog race during the previous year. Surprisingly, 5% of the teenagers had also done so. When asked about college sporting events, 9% of adults and 18% of teenagers admitted having bet on them. The percentages were somewhat higher for professional sports: 13% of adults and 27% of teenagers had placed wagers during the previous year. One-quarter of adults and 15% of teenagers had bet on a major sporting event, such as the Super Bowl or World Series, through an office pool. A large majority of adults (68%) and teenagers (67%) indicated that they believed "legalized betting on sporting events leads to cheating or fixing games."

A slight majority of adults (53%) and teenagers (55%) thought that off-track betting on horse races should be legalized as a means of raising state revenues. The legalization of gambling on professional sporting events for the same purpose was approved by 41% of adults and 60% of teenagers.