NFL betting app downloads were down in Week 1 for nearly every sportsbook not named Fanatics or bet365, according to data from Citizens and Sensor Tower.
Excluding those challenger brands there were about 1.01 million first-time NFL betting app installs in the U.S. and Canada from Tuesday through Monday of Week 1, a 10% drop from last year. Including Fanatics and bet365, overall downloads were up just 4%.
This is the first NFL season in five years without a new state market launching ahead of kickoff and first time apps like FanDuel saw year-over-year declines in Week 1. App downloads aren’t a perfect proxy for betting growth, however. They serve more as a gauge of marketing push and product adoption, which does not necessarily translate to revenue.
Bet365, Fanatics surge from lower comps, promos
Bet365, which is live in four new states this NFL season, saw a 143% surge in downloads. Fanatics, whose promotional spend has made up a larger share of its handle than any other brand in the past year, posted a 90% jump in Week 1 compared to last season.
Those gains, Citizens noted, came off each company’s lower base of users last year.
DraftKings was the only other major operator to post year-over-year growth, eking out a 1% increase — momentum likely fueled by its Jackpocket lottery app, which spiked from 2,700 daily downloads to 40,000 during the recent $1.8 billion jackpot frenzy.
No new sports betting markets in Week 1
Last year, about 5% of the US population had access to betting apps for the first time in Week 1, a figure that has steadily declined each season as more than 30 states and jurisdictions now have live legal markets.
“Said another way, comps are tough with no new states to start the year; therefore, the access to the new, quality customer pool is at its lowest point entering a new season,” Citizens analyst Jordan Bender wrote.
That should, however, give sportsbooks more room to focus on efficiency in existing markets, reactivate users and push sign-ups at lower costs, Bender noted.
NFL betting downloads dip
FanDuel still held the top spot in Week 1 downloads, with 384,000 installs, good for 29% market share, even as downloads dipped 13% year-over-year.
| Rank | Parent / Brand | Downloads (000s) | Market Share | YoY Change | Rank Movement |
| 1 | Flutter (FanDuel, etc.) | 384 | 29% | -13% | – |
| 2 | DraftKings | 324 | 24% | +1% | – |
| 3 | Bet365 | 179 | 14% | +143% | ↑ |
| 4 | Fanatics | 131 | 10% | +90% | ↑ |
| 5 | PENN (ESPN Bet, theScore) | 82 | 6% | +23% | ↑ |
| 6 | MGM (BetMGM, Borgata, etc.) | 81 | 6% | -29% | ↓ |
| 7 | Hard Rock | 76 | 6% | -32% | ↓ |
| 8 | Caesars | 46 | 3% | -14% | – |
| 9 | Rush Street (BetRivers, PlaySugarHouse) | 21 | 2% | +5% | – |
Game results move NFL betting stocks
The decline comes as game results remain the bigger swing factor for operators.
Public sides went just 3–13 against the spread in Week 1, the worst opening slate for bettors in the multi-state legal era, even as favorites finished 12–4 straight up.
Last season, sportsbooks suffered through the highest rate of public wins in more than 40 years, as favorites won at least 75% of games in 10 of 17 weeks, which forced DraftKings and FanDuel to cut revenue guidance.
Sports betting stocks have historically risen an average of 13% in the 60 days before kickoff but dropped 4% in the 60 days after, according to Citizens, which expects stock movement to be tied to game-by-game outcomes more than ever this season.
