How Gambling Ads Influence Americans – The Impact of Sports Betting Marketing

Gambling advertisements have become one of the most important parts of the online gambling industry in most parts of the world, and America is no exception. Locals encounter sportsbook commercials, promotions on podcasts, and sponsored posts across social media. Many simply skip these ads, but the truth is that they have a huge effect on the business.

Based on the stats my colleagues at Nostrabet.com and I came across, commercial sports betting in the USA generated close to $16.89B in revenue in 2025 alone. This is a massive 22.6% increase from last year, and it reveals a clear uptrend. The numbers clearly show that gambling ads influence Americans in their decision-making, so let’s dive deep and see what the situation is like.

The Growth of Sports Betting Advertising in the US

The USA quickly became the largest sports betting market in the world after the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling. According to the recent research from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, sportsbooks are spending 15 times more money than they did in 2019. Back then, companies used to have a budget of around $21.4m, whereas in 2022, they spent $314.6M. Online gambling’s advertisement also increased drastically from $1B in 2021 to $1.9B in 2023.

What’s interesting is that the industry moved away from just TV ads. Many of the big companies are looking for more innovative ways to promote their services. This includes via streaming services, social media, podcasts, affiliates, emails and even text messages. Some of them even have contracts with big names in the sports, mobile and music industry.

These kinds of ads often have a gradual effect on customers. They may not take action right away, but after seeing an ad time and time again, clients become more familiar with it. In the end, some users will decide to give it a go.

How Much Influence do Gambling Ads Actually Have?

After diving deep into the gambling ads situation in the USA, I came across an interesting research conducted by a company for Sacred Heart University. Around 1500 people were asked how much sports betting advertising influences their likelihood of gambling, and they answered the following:

• 36.2% said it has no influence at all
• 25.4% reported not much influence
• 20.8% reported some influence
• 11.3% said it has a great deal of influence
• 6.4% said they are not sure

If we analyze the stats, we will see that around 32.1% of all respondents said that sports betting has some kind of influence on their decisions. An interesting fact is that 61.6% said advertising had little or no influence.

It’s important to remember that many customers may not actually realize that repeated brand exposure affects their decisions. This has been tested many times over the years, and it also works in the iGaming industry.

Younger Americans Report Greater Influence

It’s probably not surprising that younger Americans report greater influence when it comes to gambling ads. 47.5% of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 answered that sports betting advertisements have had some effect on them. For comparison, only 15.9% of those aged 55 and above provided the same answer.

Most people won’t be surprised by these results because the younger adults are a much better target for these ads. They use mobile apps, follow athletes and use social media all the time. Companies are aware of these habits and take full advantage of them by targeting these clients.

Betting companies in the USA also pay attention to different surveys and base their ad campaigns on that. For example, the NCAA published a 2023 survey that found 58% of those aged 18-22 had participated in at least one sports betting activity. This was three years ago, so the percentage nowadays is even higher than it was.

The Types of Content Format that Work Best

Even though it’s not specifically related to gambling, I found a very interesting survey that shows Americans’preferred forms of media content. It is one of those things that many operators pay close attention to.

Based on Statista Consumer Insight, around 62% of all US adults between the ages of 18 and 64 prefer short videos or reels. They prefer this content format because it has become incredibly popular in the last couple of years. In fact, here are the specific stats of how everything ranks:

• 62% prefer short videos/reels
• 42% choose text
• 40% prefer long videos
• 37% stick with audio
• 30% choose images/infographics
• 10% say they do not know
• 4% pick other

Keep in mind that the respondents (over 8000) could choose several answers, so this explains why some percentages are higher. Yes, the survey does not show that gambling videos directly cause people to bet, but it explains why more and more companies use this format.

A brief video from leading sports betting companies is often full of exciting moments, live odds, and even bonuses. When it’s made the right way, it has highlights, comedy moments and other entertainment that make it easy to remember. This adds up over time, and it causes many people to become more curious.

Shorter videos are also ideal when it comes to creating urgency. This is a common technique that betting sites use to promote limited-time products.

Beyond short videos, the fact that 37% of people prefer audio helps explain why many sites focus on podcasts and streaming platforms. The images and infographic percentages work great with affiliates and/or blogs that promote their services.

How Sportsbook Advertising Encourages Betting

If you analyze a standard sportsbook ad, you will find a lot of interesting data. For starters, many of them focus on a sense of urgency because it is the easiest way to convert viewers into clients. You can often find messages like bet now and others that encourage clients to make quick decisions.

Personalization is another thing that makes the promotions more relevant. Operators will often offer slightly different bonuses for each state, focusing on local celebrities, athletes, and so on. This connects betting with entertainment and allows them to get more clients, potentially.

Many of the sports betting ads in the USA will also feature bonus bets and promotional credits. You can often find special promo codes that let players get a small reward. These codes are on a first-come, first-served basis, and this creates an additional sense of urgency.

Betting companies will also often include people’s big wins in their ads because they know that many are interested in that. There was a survey from Sacred Heart University that stated around 68.4% of people bet because they want to win money. As a result, some sites often promote potential payouts and big numbers to make them more interesting.

Americans Think that Gambling Ads are Too Frequent

The iGaming industry in the USA is flourishing, so companies always have some kind of campaign they advertise. It seems that some people don’t like this, as a survey from the Secret Heart University found that 48.8% of participants thought sports betting ads appeared too frequently during sports broadcasts.

Only 31% of respondents said that the number of ads is about right, whereas 3% answered that betting ads were not frequent enough. These stats reveal that we may be very close to a gambling ad regulation in the USA. We have already seen that in many other parts of the world, including countries like Australia and Bulgaria.

This is backed up by yet another research, where 62% of people said that they are concerned about the ads’ effect on the young audience. A further 58% think that there should be some kind of restrictions on sports betting ads during live events.

The Current Advertising Rules in the USA

A quick dive into the current US gambling advertising laws shows that there are federal and state regulations. All ads must be truthful, and influencers or others who endorse the sites must clearly state it.

What’s also interesting is that people included in betting ads must be at least 21 years of age. There are also restrictions in terms of promotional partnerships with colleges and amateur leagues. Perhaps the most important rule is that ads should not present betting as a solution to financial problems.

The Future of US Gambling Advertising

Considering the size of the American industry, operators will continue to invest in ads. However, the way companies advertise their services will probably change because of the most recent studies. Since 62% of adults prefer short videos or reels, operators will likely want to focus on them.

The interesting part is that the public remains divided when it comes to these kinds of ads. 61.6% believe that gambling ads have little to no influence, whereas 32.1% think they affect them in some way.

All of that comes at a time when many people believe that there are way too many ads. Assuming that the regulators in the USA decide to take action, we will likely see similar restrictions to those in places like Australia. Online betting operators will have to become more innovative if they want to stand out.