Report: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL Sports Eye $4B+ Revenue From Legal Betting
By Barry Janoff
October 18, 2018: When the U.S. Supreme Court in May overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, it opened the door for legalized sports betting in the U.S, with individual states now deciding whether or not, and how, to enact the process.
Also making decisions about the impact of the situation have been pro sports leagues themselves, seeking to not only stay on top of the process but to make the most of potential future income.
According to a new report from the American Gaming Assn., the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL could realize a combined $4.2 billion annually not just from legal, regulated sports betting, but from such related platforms as increased consumption of the leagues' products, revenue as a result of spending by betting operators and data providers, advertising, sponsorship revenue and data.
According to the AGA, the NFL alone could realize $2.3 billion in increased annual revenue.
Annual revenues for MLB and the NBA have the potential to increase by $1.1 billion and $585 million, respectively, while the NHL could see an annual bump of $216 million.
"The four major sports leagues will earn a collective $4.2 billion from widely available legal sports betting, further proving that working together with the gaming industry will pay dividends for all sports stakeholders," Sara Slane, svp-public affairs for the AGA, said via the group.
"Legal, regulated sports betting will create huge new revenue opportunities for sports leagues — and the NFL could be the biggest winner of all," said Slane.
“Once legal sports betting expands across the country, the NFL could take in more than $2 billion a year, reinforcing how much sports leagues stand to gain from increased viewership and private partnerships with sports betting operators."
For the NFL, that would include $1.75 billion in new revenue from increased consumption of the league's products, $573 million in revenue as a result of spending by betting operators and data providers, $451 million from advertising, $92 million in sponsorship revenue and $30 million in data.
By comparison, AGA research shows that legal sports betting could help generate additional revenues of $160 million for the NBA and $154 million for MLB as a result of spending by betting operators and data providers.
The study also projects that gaming operators may spend $64 million on MLB advertising and $57 million on the NBA, "which may directly increase the leagues' rights fees by the same amount."
Sponsorship revenues from gaming operators would provide an additional $78 million for the NBA and $62 million for MLB. The NBA and MLB are also projected to earn $25 million and $28 million from data rights, respectively.
In September, the Dallas Cowboys became the first NFL team with a casino deal, signed a multi-year pact naming WinStar World Casino and Resort as the official casino of the team.
The move came on the heels of an amendment passed by league owners creating the opportunity for casinos to obtain official partnerships with NFL teams.
"Legal, regulated sports betting will create huge new revenue opportunities for sports leagues — and the NFL could be the biggest winner of all."
Also in September, the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights signed an alliance with sports book operator William Hill, the first NHL team to ink such a deal.
In July, the NBA signed a deal naming MGM Resorts International as the official casino partner for the NBA and the WNBA.
Long-term, the numbers are projected to increase.
“The U.S. Supreme Court's historic May 14 ruling to overturn a federal ban will create a legal sports wagering market worth between $3.1-$5.2 billion in annual revenue by 2023,” according to a recent report from GamblingCompliance, a leading provider of business intelligence to the global sports betting industry.
According to Washington D.C.-based GamblingCompliance, revenue from legal sports betting will reach almost $700 million in 2019, divided about evenly between online and casino take.
The figure is estimated to rise to about $1.8 billion in 2020, the majority from online, followed by casino and a small retail segment.
In 2021, revenue could reach $2.9 billion, again with the majority from online sources.
The number will top $4 billion in 2022, with more than half from online, per GamblingCompliance.
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