1. Sports Betting Marketing Companies
2. Sports Betting Statistics
3. Sport Betting Market Share
4. Sports Gambling Market
5. Online Sport Betting Market
6. Sports Betting Market Analysis
7. Sports Betting Industry Size

Sport betting has evolved so much in recent years that many long time winning strategies are no longer profitable. As many gamblers are not yet aware of this, or are quick to write-off strategic ideas that span beyond conventional wisdom, I’ll discuss this using an easy to understand analysis of the “fade the public” betting system. Here I’ll explain why this system was profitable, and now, while still better than blindly picking teams, is no longer so. After reading this article you’ll have a better understanding of the current betting market and how you can profit from it.

Fade the Public Explained

Fade the public simply refers to betting against popular teams. An example of how this system works, a professional sports bettor visits a sports bar and listens for, and perhaps participates in, discussions about various sporting events. His goal is to find out which teams the others in the bar are certain will cover the spread, and which teams have no chance. He repeats this process at other sports bars. Once he’s confident that there is a strong fan bias for a certain team to cover the spread, he makes a wager on the opposite side, “fading the public”. During the early to mid 0 decade, this was a highly profitable system, and many who used it with disciplined bankroll growth strategies grew wealthy. Unfortunately, for those still using the system, while it is better than blind picking teams, it is no longer a profitable system. To understand why, we need to first look at the reason “fade the public” once worked.

Why Fading the Public Once Worked

Fading the public worked at a time when betting point spreads and odds was largely based on fan biases. There were dozens of games each week where the bookmakers could predict which side of the game they expected to take the most bets on, and then set the line accordingly. For example, in baseball when the New York Yankees played the KC Royals, the bookmaker knew that no matter what odds he set, most bettors would take the championship favored Yankees over the perpetually cellared KC Royals. To make maximum profits, he’d set the odds so steep on the Yankees, that anyone betting the Royals was getting a better price than true odds and therefore had a bet with positive expectation (+EV). This worked because betting limits were small, and the bookmaker took far more Yankees bets than Royals bets.

To cover a little about betting limits, in 2003 the maximum bet on NFL sides ranged from $500 to $10,000 at each bookmaker, with the lower end of this range the most common. Whales with a proven track record were often allowed to bet more, while sharps (professionals) frequently found themselves either banned or only allowed to bet a fraction of the amount granted to others at each bookmaker. Bookmakers serviced mostly recreational players, and it was difficult for professionals to get considerable action; therefore, lines opened based on anticipated recreational action, and were adjusted based on recreational action as well.

Sportmarket partners only with the most reliable and trustworthy partners in order to get the finest odds and highest limits to the punters. It is our goal to get even more bookmakers to join the Sportmarket's. The bottom line: Day trading has replaced sports betting as a form of entertainment for many Americans during the shutdown, and this phenomenon could partly explain the current disconnect between the economy (down) and the stock market (up). Go deeper: Sports betting. Global Sports Betting Market: Overview As the effective sports betting landscape initiates carrying real value to the economies of numerous countries, the idea of sports betting, as considered illegal.

Professional Friendly Betting Sites Changed the Market

Around 2004 or 2005, a handful of online betting sites realized the internet gambling boom was nearing its peak, at least in terms of new players registering to open accounts. While other sites were giving out massive cash bonuses and +EV bets to lock in new players, a couple sites changed their focus entirely. These sites decided that professional bettors, the ones they had recently spent time banning and limit collaring, were more profitable clients over the long term. This seemed a risky idea, but as long as lines were set correctly, the lopsided action didn’t matter too much, as the bookmaker would profit over the long haul from their theoretical hold, which is their term for what we gamblers call juice or vig.

Just like that, things started to change. TheGreek.com in targeting pros adopted the slogan “sweat the game, not the payout”. Their model was that no matter how much you win, you’ll get paid timely and hassle free. They were one of the original professional friendly betting sites. Meanwhile, because professional sports bettors often sat waiting for betting lines to open, in hopes of spotting something of value to get first crack at, CRIS (also known as bookmaker.eu – use bonus code THEGEEK) began posting betting odds a full day before Las Vegas, while later adopting the slogan “where the line originates”. Pinnacle Sports, already known for professional friendliness, would take things to the next level by offering reduced juice -104 pricing on NFL sides, and -105 on other betting market. They were one of the first to compete on price by going against the standard $1.10 to win $1.00 -110 pricing model. Pinnacle stepped things up in other areas as well, offering unheard of betting limits, often $100,000 max per side, and lightning fast payouts. They even competed with CRIS by beating them to the punch on opening lines.

Today, these three companies remain the leaders in professional action, while Bookmaker.com is also quite friendly to the smaller player. TheGreek.com allows $5K max bets on NFL sides, bookmaker.eu offers 8 times that at $40K, and Pinnacle Sports essential has no limit. At Pinnacle, up to $30,000 can be bet at a time on NFL sides, and multiple maximum bets are allowed.

These professional betting sites cannot get away with the old tricks of shading a line to increase profit. In fact, they have to work quite hard to find a line where smart money no longer has interest in betting. The trick of their trade is moving the lines as bets come in until they have what is considered a “sharp line”. Once they have this, line fluctuation is minor and neither side is a plus EV bet.

Recreational Sites Must Follow Professional Sites

I need to call special attention to what I’ll cover next, as this is the area most fail to understand about the betting market. Today, while the number of professionals capable of capping well enough to spot value on opening lines is still small, there are literally thousands of well financed sports bettors, as well as those just starting to get a bankroll built, who understand how to cap the market. Let me put this into perspective with an example:

If Pinnacle sports is offering a team is -6 -104 while www.Bovada.lv is offering their opponent +6 +105, we have a situation where an arbitrage is possible. To take advantage of that, risk $1040 to win $1000 at Pinnacle on -6 -104, and risk $995.12 to win $1,044.88 at Bovada.lv at +6 +105, and no matter which team wins you profit $4.88. Considering there is no risk, bettors can risk a large portion of their bankroll. Remember, Pinnacle has the largest limits and lowest margins in the industry and is friendly to professional bettors. When these spots come up 95%, it is the other site not Pinnacle offering the +EV bet. If you’re not prone to risk, with proper bankroll management and growth strategy in place, you’d be better off betting only the Bovada +6 +105 line, rather than taking the arb.

To sum this up, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of gamblers who understand this same strategy. When recreational sites offer poor lines, as they used to do prior to the days of professional betting sites, it is now easy to see. Compare lines at Pinnacle, and bet anything that is off. As a result, when a recreational betting site tries shading the line, they end up being hit with an arsenal of small to midsized bets that force them to follow the same lead as professional sites. They need to adjust the line to the point where smart money or, more important to them, those following smart money, no longer have an interest.

It doesn’t matter if a site is professional or not. The line which was the last available prior to the game starting (the closing line) was a betting proposition where neither side was +EV. Fading the public might be better than blind picking teams, but in today’s betting market it will not result in a profit over the long term. If it does, there are two reasons: There is a factor the betting market hasn’t spotted yet, and this will correct itself in a matter of a week, or, more commonly, the bettor is experiencing short term variance which will regress towards the mean in time.

For the same reasons that fading the public is no longer profitable, betting the small home underdog, the ranked favorite underdogs against non ranked favorites, or betting other systems that were profitable for years has also dried up. The reason in short: In today’s betting market, it is smart money, not recreational money, that moves the lines. In terms of dollars bet, smart money now greatly exceeds that of recreational money, and this is by a wide margin.

Winning in the Current Betting Market

Perhaps the most profitable non handspring intensive approach to winning in the current betting market is derivative betting. A derivative is a betting market derived from a larger betting market. For example, one of my favorite prop bets in NFL football is which team will score first. This prop is a close derivative of the betting line on the game’s first half total and point spread. Some other examples: in baseball, Runs + Hits + Errors betting is a derivative of the odds maker’s posted total; in hockey, the puck line is a derivative of the moneyline, etc. These are profitable because while large markets are constantly adjusting towards efficiency, the derivative market often lags behind. I cover this strategy for a specific mid market prop, in the article about “NFL Prop Betting”.

The second most effective way to profit in the current betting market is with teasers. I’ve covered these in great detail in the teaser betting guide. Teasers betting strategy is not difficult to learn and a great place to get started finding +EV bets.

Finally, let me conclude by telling you, every strategy article here at TheSportsGeek.com is up to date. Unlike most strategists who will regurgitate low level strategy that often doesn’t work, or is outdated, our articles are relevant to the current betting market. They are all written by professional bettors with long term, and current, winning track records. If you appreciate these tips, please support us by opening an account using this link to www.bookmaker.eu. Thanks for taking the time to read this article and as always, we wish you the best of luck.

Sports Betting Market Leaders By State

by Matias Dorta / November 12th, 2020

Introduction

U.S. online sports betting is akin to a digital gold rush. Each new state that legalizes online sports betting becomes a new frontier for the companies and operators competing for the U.S. market. In this blog, we will cover the states that have legalized online sports betting as of September 2020 and break down the current state of each market.

This blog will be updated monthly as new data becomes available (feel free to bookmark).

Sports Betting Market Leaders By State

The information below is based on the most recent data as of October 31, 2020, representing the various states that have regulated online sports betting markets. Market Leader refers to the leader for online sports betting. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell securities.

New Jersey

October 2020 Total Handle: $803 million

Online Percentage: 93%

Market Leader: FanDuel/Pointsbet

The Garden State has become the success story in U.S. online sports betting. New Jersey, which launched its first legal online sportsbook in the summer of 2018, is now the U.S. leader in online sports betting. The state set a record for single state monthly sports betting handle in the U.S. in August with a total handle of $667.9 million, and then broke its own record in September with a $748.6 million handle, and again in October passing $800M.

The state currently has over 10 live online sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, William Hill, bet365 and more.

The market leader in New Jersey is FanDuel/PointsBet. FanDuel and PointsBet are both partnered with license holder Meadowlands, therefore, their revenue is reported together. The tandem recorded just under $30 million in revenue from online wagers in October. According to NJ Gambling Sites, FanDuel Sportsbook is responsible for a majority of that revenue. The runner-up in the New Jersey market is DraftKings/BetStars operating under Resorts license, the duo generated ~$14.6 million in revenue in October.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, PointsBet, DraftKings, William Hill

Nevada

October 2020 Total Handle: $659.6 million

Online Percentage: 57.1%

Market Leader: William Hill

Nevada has a rich history of gambling as the first state to legalize most forms of wagering in 1931. In 2010, Nevada allowed sports betting apps to go live, which opened the door to wagering outside of a physical sportsbook. In October 2020, Nevada posted a $659.6 million sports betting handle. Despite seeing fewer tourists than last year, sports betting increased 21.3% from October 2019. Online mobile sports betting was responsible for a little over half of the handle in October 2020.

The market leader in Nevada is William Hill. The company boasts 32% of the total gross revenue market share in the state and attributes 69% of its bets taking place through its online channels. William Hill was recently acquired by Caesars Entertainment in a deal that values the company at $3.7 billion.

Related Companies: William Hill

Pennsylvania

October 2020 Total Handle: $525.8 million

Online Percentage: 89.8%

Market Leader: FanDuel

Pennsylvania is becoming one of the hottest online sports betting markets in the United States. I was in Philadelphia in September and every street corner had some sort of sports betting advertisement. The state set a sports betting handle record in September and followed that up with another record in October, reaching $525.8 million.

Online sportsbooks are aggressively going after the market with Penn National Gaming debuting the Barstool Sportsbook app in the state and DraftKings partnering with the Philadelphia Eagles to bring a premium lounge to Lincoln Financial Field.

However, the current market leader in the state is FanDuel. FanDuel sportsbook was responsible for $185 million of the October handle, followed by DraftKings ($123.4 million).

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, Penn National Gaming

Rhode Island

September 2020 Total Handle: $31.3 million

Online Percentage: 44.7%

Market Leader: William Hill

Rhode Island set a record in September 2020 for online betting with a total mobile handle of $14 million. The total handle in September topped $30 million, setting a 2020 record for the state. Rhode Island only has two sportsbooks in the entire state, and both are powered by William Hill, giving William Hill the entire market share.

If you are wondering why Rhode Island only has two sportsbooks in the entire state, taxes could be playing a role. Rhode Island imposes a whopping 51% tax on operators, making The Ocean State the highest taxed sports betting jurisdiction in the world.

Related Companies: William Hill

Indiana

October 2020 Total Handle: $207.5 million

Online Percentage: 83.5%

Market Leader: DraftKings

Indiana, like many other states on this list, hit a sports betting handle all-time high in September, surpassing $200 million for the first time. Sports betting in Indiana launched in October 2019 with three books, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers, and the former is the current market leader.

In October 2020, DraftKings ($90.5 million) and FanDuel ($63.6 million) accounted for close to 80% of the total online handle in the state. BetMGM came in third boasting a $20.1 million monthly handle.

The current market leaders will need to keep an eye out for William Hill / Caesars who made their intent to enter the market clear by signing a multi-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

Iowa

October 2020 Total Handle: $81.9 million

Online Percentage: 69.1%

Market Leader: William Hill

Iowa legalized sports betting in May 2019 and William Hill, Elite Sportsbook, and PointsBet launched later in the year. In October 2020, the state hit a sports betting all-time high with $81.9 million in total handle. The overall online handle of $56 million during the month was also a record high for the state. William Hill, the market leader, accounted for close to $35 million in bets.

Related Companies: DraftKings, William Hill

Illinois

September 2020 Sports Betting Handle: $305 million

Online Percentage: 92%

Market Leader: BetRivers

The sports betting handle in Illinois rose to $139.8 million in August, a 166.7% increase from July. The market leader for the month was BetRivers, which accounted for around 85% of the total handle during the month. However, this type of market share should not be expected to be maintained. Due to pandemic related in-person registrations closures and a complicated executive order by the governor, FanDuel and DraftKings were essentially unable to register new users for the entire month.

September should look different as it will be the first full month where FanDuel and DraftKings can freely onboard users. Also, William Hill and PointsBet entered the market in September. All this new competition should cut into BetRivers’ 85% market share from August.

September Update: As expected, in September 2020, BetRivers market share was reduced by new competition in the Illinois market. DraftKings brought in more than $95.8 million in wagers and nearly passed BetRivers, which led all online sportsbooks in September with a $98.5 million handle.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

West Virginia

September 2020 Total Handle: $76.9 million

Online Percentage: 77%

Sports Betting Marketing Companies

Market Leader: DraftKings

Sports betting in West Virginia saw a major boost from August to September. Total handle increased 90%, while revenue jumped 133% month-over-month. Currently, there are four major players operating in the state - William Hill, FanDuel, BetMGM, and the market leader, DraftKings.

Since launching in August 2019, DraftKings and its partner in the state, Hollywood Sportsbook, have seen $296 million in handle, with $94 million of that total coming from online bets.

BetMGM and FanDuel operate under the same license with The Greenbrier. The combined groups have brought in a total handle of $143 million, with $131 million of that total taking place online.

Sports Betting Statistics

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

Colorado

October Total Handle: $210 million

Online Percentage: 98%

Market Leader: DraftKings

Colorado sports betting has been on fire since its launch in May 2020. Sports betting in the state has seen a month-to-month increase in overall betting handle for five consecutive months. In July, CO passed $50 million in total handle for the first time; in September, the monthly handle surpassed $200 million. The growth can be attributed to a surge in online app accessibility. Bettors in Colorado can already wager on over ten different mobile apps, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, and more. Users seem to be buying into the digital experience with over 98.4% bets being placed online since July 2020.

Estimates suggest that DraftKings is the market leader in Colorado followed by FanDuel, with both operators accounting for 84% of the state’s total gross gaming revenue since sports betting went live in the state in May.

Related Companies: Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, William Hill

Oregon

September 2020 Total Handle: $26 million

Online Percentage: 100%

Market Leader: DraftKings-SBTech / Oregon Lottery

Oregon sports betting is complicated to say the least. The state only allows bettors to wager online through one app, Scoreboard, which is a partnership between the Oregon Lottery and SBTech. The app launched in October 2019 and as of March 2020, the Oregon Lottery had lost $2 million on the venture despite seeing ~$6 million in revenue. This is due to a complicated arrangement between the Oregon Lottery and SBTech who, according to Legal Sports Report, may have the better end of this deal. DraftKings and SBTech merged back in April 2020.

Oregon set a sports betting all-time high in September with $26 million in handle with football responsible for the majority of the action.

Related Companies: DraftKings

Washington DC

September 2020 Total Handle: $15.4 million

Online Percentage: 20%

Market Leader: GameBet

Just like Oregon, online sports betting in Washington DC is only allowed through a government operated app. Washington DC allows bettors to wager online through GameBetDC, an app operated by the DC Lottery. The app has a 1.6 out of 5 rating in the Apple Store and is being dominated by the only alternative in the city, the land-based William Hill sportsbook in the Capital One Arena.

In September, the William Hill retail sportsbook saw $12.2 million in wagers, close to four times more than the $3.2 million wagered on GameBetDC during the month.

Despite having the advantage of being the exclusive online offering, GameBetDC’s competition is only getting stronger. William Hill is opening a brand new luxurious sportsbook and premium lounge in the Capital One Arena in 2021 (the current set up is temporary due to the pandemic) and FanDuel is set to launch a retail sportsbook with D.C. United inside Audi Field.

Related Companies: William Hill

New Hampshire

October Total Handle: $47 million

Online Percentage: 85%

Market Leader: DraftKings

Sport Betting Market Share

New Hampshire set a state record in October by reaching $47 million in total sports betting handle, with 85% of that handle coming online. 100% of the online handle was placed on the state’s only mobile sportsbook, DraftKings. The DraftKings Sportsbook app saw $40 million in handle during the month of October in New Hampshire.

Sports Gambling Market

Related Companies: DraftKings

Table

Online Sport Betting Market

Sports Betting Market Analysis

* Information based off of September 2020 / October 2020 data. William Hill is the overall market leader in Washington DC, GameBet is the market leader for online betting because it is the only option allowed in the DC for online betting.

Sports Betting Industry Size

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