Which New States Are Fueling US Sports Betting Growth In NFL Season?


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Arizona sports betting

The first month of Arizona sports betting is off to a big start.

Through the first four weeks of the NFL season, Arizona was the fourth-most active US sports betting market, according to GeoComply data released Monday. GeoComply recorded 330 million geolocation transactions in 18 states and Washington, D.C., during the first four weeks of the NFL season, through Oct. 3.

“We’re excited to see the growth of sports betting from the first NFL weekend has carried over to the first four weeks of the season,” GeoComply Managing Director of Gaming Lindsay Slader said in a release. “The data also confirms the first week in Arizona was not just a one-off, but that the state has solidified its place as the fourth largest sports betting market in the U.S.

“With more states poised to come online in the coming weeks and months, we expect growth will continue to accelerate through 2021 and 2022.”

Growth in US sports betting

The NFL betting season is regularly the most active in the sports betting industry. It is also the time for sportsbooks to attract and retain customers.

This year, GeoComply collected 122% more transactions than the same period in 2020.

GeoComply AZ sports betting

Arizona sports betting makes big debut

The Arizona sports betting market launched Sept. 9, the same day the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys kicked off the NFL season. The first week of NFL action saw the market record 10% of US sports betting transactions.

Through four weeks, AZ sportsbook recorded 36.9 million transactions, or 11.2% of the US total. There are more operators to launch as well, as Arizona regulators are still sifting through applications and issuing sportsbook licenses.

Arizona sports betting outpaces Illinois sports betting, but is behind:

The markets are, of course, of varying sizes and maturity levels, making comparisons somewhat uneven.

Michigan sports betting grows

In 2020, Michigan sports betting was restricted to retail sportsbooks. Since MI online sports betting launched in January 2021, this is the first NFL season with mobile sportsbooks in the Mitten State.

In the first four weeks of the 2021 NFL season, Michigan sportsbooks recorded 44.3 million transactions, or 13.4% of the action in the US.

More states launching this fall

Sports betting growth will continue for the foreseeable future. Including Arizona, five states launched in September 2021:

Connecticut will launch online sportsbooks this month. Retail sportsbooks in Maryland and Louisiana will also likely start to open in the coming weeks.