Online sports betting hits 27%; 60% of bettors chased losses

A Siena Research Institute poll conducted with St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication found 27% of Americans have active online sports‑betting accounts and that 60% of those account holders reported chasing losing bets to try to recoup losses. The survey of 3,084 U.S. adults was released with the institute’s 2026 Annual Sports Fanship Survey.

The share of Americans reporting active accounts rose from 19% in 2024 to 22% in 2025 and 27% in 2026. Among people with accounts, 83% said they had placed a bet, which corresponds to about 22% of all adults reporting they wager on sports. Men ages 18 to 49 reported higher activity: about 52% said they hold active accounts and 46% said they placed bets.

Respondents identified entertainment as a main reason to bet: 92% said they bet because it is entertaining and 89% said it makes watching games more interesting. At the same time, 85% said they wagered because they thought they could make money, and 83% said they enjoy parlays, futures or other high‑payout bets. Sixty‑three percent of bettors said they had wagered $100 or more in a single day, up seven percentage points from 2025.

The survey recorded increases in problem indicators. Thirty‑one percent of bettors said someone had confronted them about their sportsbook use, up from 23% the prior year. Twenty‑seven percent admitted lying about the extent of their betting. Forty‑two percent said they wager more than they should, and 43% reported feeling bad or ashamed after losing. Fifteen percent of bettors said they had called a problem‑gambling helpline or sought other support, compared with 9% the year before. Overall, 22% of all respondents said they know someone who has had a problem with online sports betting, up from 16% in 2025.

The poll asked respondents about regulation and other concerns. Fifty percent said sports betting should be legal in all 50 states, while 67% said the federal government should “aggressively regulate” online sports betting to protect customers from compulsive gambling. Seventy‑four percent called allowing 18‑year‑olds to wager a serious issue, with 69% of those aged 18‑34 agreeing. A majority supported limits on sportsbook advertising during broadcasts and restrictions on betting by college athletes and staff; 56% said online betting will corrupt organized sports.

Fifteen percent of Americans reported wagering on prediction markets such as Polymarket or Kalshi. That figure rose to 42% among avid sports fans and to 33% among men 18‑49. Sixty‑five percent of all respondents said prediction markets should face state regulation similar to sports betting, with 73% agreement among men 19‑49.

Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute, noted in the survey release that online sports betting account ownership has risen from roughly one‑in‑five Americans in 2024 to one‑in‑four in 2026. Dr. Brian Moritz, a coauthor of the report, wrote that legal and accessible gambling is a defining issue for the sports world in the 2020s and that fans express support for legalization alongside interest in guardrails such as advertising limits and college‑betting restrictions. The full survey and methodology were released by the Siena Research Institute and St. Bonaventure University.