Ahead of the start of the Premier League season, YouGov conducted a poll examining the shares of consumers in various markets who would place bets on the world’s most popular football (soccer) tournament.
Although the survey was run about a week before the start of the event, about one in 25 sports bettors had already placed one or more Premier League bets (5%). Exactly 50% of sports bettors in these six key betting markets – UK, USA, Australia, Germany, France, and Canada – said they were likely to place bets on the event. Looking at the general population in these markets, about 13% said they were likely to place bets during the season, with 2% saying they had already done so.
Shares of potential Premier League bettors in the UK were not too dissimilar to other markets. While 52% of UK sports bettors said they were likely to take a punt during the season, shares were similar in almost all other markets polled. But this doesn’t mean there was no variance. UK sports bettors (31%) were nearly twice as likely as their Canadian and Australian counterparts (17% each) to say they were very likely to bet. Another interesting find is that German and Australian (7%) sports bettors were most likely to have already placed a bet, well above the 3% registered in the UK.
In general, the consistent distribution of betting activity percentages in these markets, both among sports bettors and the wider population, suggests that the Premier League’s worldwide appeal encompasses not only viewership but also betting interest.
Across markets, those expressing an interest in betting on the Premier League are significantly younger than the group of sports bettors on the whole.
This is most noticeable in the US, where those aged 18-34 make up a whopping two-thirds of all potential Premier League gamblers (65%) but form only 52% of the sports bettors group. But this variance is very strong in all other markets with the exception of Germany and France, where the distribution is even.
In certain markets, Premier League bettors are also significantly more likely to be men. This is most evident in the UK, where men make up four-fifths of all Premier League gamblers (78%) and 67% of the sports bettors group. Women’s representation – both as a share of potential Premier League bettors (37%) and all sports bettors (39%) is the highest in the US in all markets polled.
While betting intentions are robust across markets, it is up to betting companies to tap into this demand for conversions. Data on factors that might motivate these potential Premier League bettors to place a wager might be useful to that end.
Nearly 39% of this audience find attractive odds and potential winnings to be a compelling reason to take a punt. Around 33% of participants rely on team/player statistics and performance as a key factor, while approximately 30% are driven by their support for a specific team/player. Promotions and bonuses provided by betting platforms influence roughly 28% of those surveyed.
Additionally, about a quarter of respondents, or 25%, feel more engaged with matches after placing a bet. Recommendations from friends impact 22% of bettors, whereas input from gambling experts/professionals motivates 16% of respondents. Bettors’ guides to the tournament could also encourage about one in seven of these potential bettors (15%).
YouGov now has a Gamblers Omnibus, targeting 3 distinct samples, in 6 key markets worldwide. Other countries are available upon request.
Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in six markets with sample sizes varying between 1,005 and 2,223 for each market. The surveys were conducted on the following dates for each market – USA (Jul 28 to Jul 31), UK (Jul 31 to Aug 1), Germany (Jul 28 to Aug 1), France (Jul 28 to Aug 1), Australia (Aug 3 to Aug 6), Canada (Jul 31 to Aug 5). Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample.