Ipsos assesses Americans' attitudes towards sports betting

• Nearly 50% of Americans believe sports betting reduces the integrity of professional and amateur sports
• Despite skepticism, sports wagering continues to rise, with live event bets up 17% since 2024
• 48% of Americans, and 51% of sports bettors, favor banning live sports betting ads during games

Americans are increasingly skeptical about the integrity of sports betting, and many believe that live ads should be banned during games, but the number of people who have (begrudgingly) placed a wager has been in a steady upswing, a new report by Ipsos indicates.

Ipsos queries Americans over their sports betting attitudes

The survey has revealed that Americans are increasingly worried about how sports betting is impacting consumers, athletes, and theintegrity of sports. In fact, close to 50% now believe that because of sports betting, the integrity of professional and amateur contests has gone down.

At the same time, the vast majority of people in the United States agree that there needs to be more done vis-à-vis regulating sports gambling, including from official bodies such as sports leagues.

Although the majority of Americans have called for tougher measures and have openly acknowledged the downsides of sports betting, more people are betting than ever, Ipsos’ survey has found.

Ipsos ran its recent survey in a series of questions and compared its 2025 results with surveys conducted in 2022, 2023, and 2024. People have been betting more on live sporting events - up 17%.

When queried about the possibility of banning sports betting ads during games, 48% of all Americans agreed, with 51% of all sports bettors favoring the move. By 2025, a very high number of Americans also believed that sports betting lessens the integrity of sports.

Sports bettors are more likely to suspect foul play in sports

49% of all Americans agreed with this sentiment, with skepticism even higher among sports bettors - 55%. Ipsos also broke down the data further, asking respondents if they believed that sporting events are rigged due to gambling.

47% of all Americans agreed with the statement, and sports fans were once again more skeptical at 51%. Young people tend to be less likely to assume that a game is rigged at 38% for those aged 18-24, with the percentages going up with age - 43% for those aged 35-49, and 50% of those aged 50-64.

A recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll indicated similar results, with a significant number of Americans appearing to believe that sports have been rigged to favor gambling outcomes.

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