The sports betting advertising blitz is not just your imagination.
From September 2021 through May 2022, US sports betting operators spent an estimated $282 million on TV advertisements, according to an iSpot.TV report released last week. The advertising generated more than 18 billion impressions.
Both figures are a significant gain compared to the prior year, with spending jumping 281% and impressions up 48.4%. This year, the growth is likely to continue, albeit not at the same level, said Tyler Bobin, a senior brand analyst at iSpot.
Plenty of sports betting advertising growth coming
The report notes with mobile betting live in 20 states, there are still plenty of potential markets to grow spending. That growth leaves room for additional future advertising.
With a significant portion of the US population without easy access to legal mobile sports betting, iSpot noted that 37% of sportsbook advertising impressions were local ads.
“From an impression standpoint, 40% were still local, so there clearly is a ramp for a spending increase,” Bobin said. “Local is cheaper, so it is how much can these sportsbooks spend? But with another five states legalizing, we might see national numbers tick up.”
FanDuel leads sports betting ad impressions
FanDuel Sportsbook accounted for 34% of the ad impressions, according to the report.
The top 5 brands by ad impressions are:
- FanDuel – 34%
- Caesars – 21.7%
- DraftKings – 18.6%
- BetMGM – 13.4%
- FOX Bet – 7.5%
On Tuesday, FanDuel announced a new ad campaign featuring PGA Tour stars, including Jordan Spieth. While other operators are scaling back marketing efforts, FanDuel CEO Amy Howe told the Wall Street Journal last week the sportsbook operator does not plan to slow down its spending.
Caesars dominates NFL season
From Nov. 1 through the Super Bowl, Caesars Sportsbook accounted for 66% of the estimated national ad spend, according to iSpot. That spending made up 51% of the ad impressions during that time.
Nearly 75% of the total ad spending occurred during the NFL betting season from Sept. 9, 2021 to Feb. 13, 2022. NFL programming attracted 42.5% of the ad impressions during the time frame measured.
Bobin said the NFL easing its sportsbook ad restrictions likely contributed to the massive spike in spending. The NBA ranked second with 7.9% of ad impressions.
Notable TV channel sportsbook data
CBS topped networks in ad impressions with 22.2%, with Fox checking in at No. 2 with 19.8%.
NBC attracted the third-most ad impressions among networks with 13.2%, but its sportsbook partner PointsBet pulled in just 1.5% of ad impressions.
TBS did not air a sportsbook ad despite playing home to NCAA March Madness games this year. ESPN, meanwhile, accounted for 1.9% of the ad impressions.
Sports betting ads not high on overall list
Sports betting was the 88th category on iSpot’s comprehensive list of advertising impressions during the time frame, sandwiched between cruise lines and cosmetic fragrances.
Because of the concentrated focus on the football season, Bobin said he thinks any concern around sportsbook ads might be a little overblown.
“It might be the only ad-supported TV some people watch and that’s the target audience, so it might seem like a lot,” Bobin said. “If they’re watching ‘This is Us,’ they aren’t seeing the same amount of the ads.”
