US and UK Sports Betting Preferences
30 percent of people in the United States surveyed for Statista Consumer Insights in 2024 had bet on a sporting event in the last twelve months.
Football is king, with the NFL being the most popular sport for betting in the U.S. By far the most popular sport among those betting was football, with more than half of those active in sports betting putting their money on a football match.
The NBA, MLB and NHL, along with men’s college football and basketball, are other popular options among bettors. Basketball, baseball and soccer followed not that far behind, at 38 percent for basketball and 25 percent for the other two sports.
Other popular sports to bet on in the U.S. were boxing, tennis and ice hockey.
UK Betting Statistics
Without much surprise, football (soccer) is securely atop our list of sports that regular UK gamblers… have bet on in the last 12 months, with 45% telling us as much.
Horse racing comes in second, with 37% of gambling respondents telling us they’ve bet on the sport in the last 12 months. Other sports high on our list are golf (9%), boxing (8%), tennis (8%), Rugby Union (6%), and cricket (6%).
American sports leagues, such as the NFL (5%), the NBA (3%) and MLB (2%) attract the attention of some UK bettors, albeit in small, single-digit proportions. Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup of soccer and Masters Tournament for golf tend to generate increased action as well.
The Rise of Prediction Markets and Volume Leaders
Kalshi and Polymarket are the two biggest prediction markets in the United States. Between the two of them, they carry the deepest liquidity, the broadest sports coverage, and the largest trading volume of any CFTC-regulated platforms in the country, which is why they set the standard the rest of the field is chasing.
The largest global prediction market by volume… Covers roughly 14 sports plus politics, crypto, and culture, with sports and the World Cup driving the largest share of 2026 volume.
Expanding Esports Betting Markets
British gamblers aged 18-24 are significantly more likely than other age groups to have placed a bet on esports (7% vs. 2% of all bettors), which is the result of esports being more popular among younger generations. bet365, active in more than 20 countries, is one of the world’s leading online betting operators… The company offers an extensive portfolio of sports betting, including comprehensive esports markets supported by live betting features and advanced digital platforms.
For example, bet365 offers 20 betting markets for League of Legends alone. Valorant is the top game at the online sportsbook, as BetRivers has odds on 12 Valorant-specific international gaming leagues. No other site on this list combines 50+ esports props, a custom Prop Builder, and consistently softer pricing on map totals and underdog lines.
Sources Quoted:
Extracts were sourced from authoritative outlets including Statista, YouGov, FOX Sports, Spherical Insights, Covers, and Vegas Aces.
Leo Falsafi is a digital marketing veteran and senior journalist at Virlan.co, where he covers the intersection of digital marketing, gaming, and breaking US trending news. With nearly two decades of hands-on experience in SEO and digital strategy, Leo has consulted for and scaled hundreds of companies. His deep industry roots allow him to deliver sharp, fact-checked insights and analysis on the trends shaping today's digital landscape.