Sports Bettors Lie, Pray and Voted for Donald Trump, According to Study by SportsBettingDime.com

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- About a third of sports bettors engage in deceptive behavior with friends and family related to their gambling, according to a market research study commissioned by SportsBettingDime.com, in partnership with a leading enterprise market research firm. However, the study also indicates the majority of sports bettors do so "responsibly, openly, occasionally and within their means," says the editor of SportsBettingDime.com, a free sports betting news and information website.  The complete study is available at https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/guides/research/.

The study indicates that 34.3% hide their gambling from their partner or significant other; 31.4% of sport gamblers are not honest with their partner or spouse about how much money they bet; and 24.2% don't tell the truth about the frequency with which they bet. Not surprisingly, 31.9% admit that gambling has interfered with their personal relationships; and 36.6% have skipped an important work or family event to watch a sporting event they have wagered on.

"Ultimately, though, the evidence in our study suggests that the strong majority of Americans betting on sports are doing so responsibly, openly, occasionally and within their means," said Matt McEwan, Editor of SportsBettingDime.com. "Two out of three have engaged in no negative betting-related behaviors whatsoever. As we move toward an era of increased regulation and accessibility to sports betting, the data suggest that there's much to be optimistic about as the market expands and new bettors enter the fold."

When it comes to paying off their losses, 36.4% of respondents have sold something of value; 24% have borrowed money from family or friends; 11.2% have stolen something of value to pay off debts or raise money to gamble with; and 7.9% have run a line of credit with their "bookie."

The SportsBettingDime.com study also found that 56.3% of sports bettors consider themselves religious—with 49.6% attending worship services weekly and 70% attending monthly.  Additionally, 42% voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election while 37.3% supported Hillary Clinton.

Even though most sports bettors earn more than $50,000 per year, only 21% wager more than $500 per month, and the majority spend less betting on sports than on other forms of entertainment. These modest numbers aren't surprising considering the frequency with which most bettors are jumping into the action. Less than 10% of active bettors are wagering every day, with 4.1% wagering once per day and 5.1% wagering more than once per day. By contrast, 24.3% place bets just once per month, while 15.8% only bet on sports as little as once per year.

More than three of four (76.5%) bettors risking over $5,000 per month earn more than $100,000 per year while all respondents risking this amount earn at least $50,000 per year. Only 5.2% of those risking between $1,000 and $5,000 per month earn less than $50,000 per year. A whopping 94.4% of those earning between $25,000 and $50,000 per year risk less than $500 per month, while 79.3% of those earning less than $25,000 per year risk less than $100 per month.

Sports bettors tend to be more educated than the American public as a whole: 59.6% hold a higher-education degree (31% Bachelor's, 24.8% Master's, 3.8% PhD or higher); this is compared to 27% of the population overall. They also tend to be slightly more affluent than the American public as a whole: 61.3% have a household income of more than $50,000 per year, with 24% enjoying a household income over $100,000 per year. 

SportsBettingDime.com partnered with a leading enterprise market research firm to survey the behaviors and opinions of active American sports bettors. We surveyed 570 individuals aged over 18 from all census-designated regions of the United States. Surveys were distributed and collected electronically between October 18 and 21, 2019. Results were collected via mobile phone, desktop or tablet. All respondents self-identified as active sports bettors. Additional statistics and analysis is available at https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/guides/research/.

SportsBettingDime.com is the go-to site for free sports betting news, knowledge and analysis. It offers sports fans a suite of free tools to make them more educated sports betters. SBD's team of betting analysts, writers and statistical wonks have created the most comprehensive source of free betting information on the web that's useful, valuable and actionable for sports better of all levels.

SOURCE SportsBettingDime.com