Sports gambling legalization and Super Bowl bets

Published Feb 27, 2019 by
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The 2019 Super Bowl was the first large sporting event to take place in states that have legalized sports gambling since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act last year.

East Carolina University’s Center for Survey Research (CSR) conducted a poll of Mississippi and New Jersey residents, two of the states that recently legalized sports gambling, to get their opinions on the legalization of sports gambling and sports gambling activity during the Super Bowl.

“These two states are very different – a northern state dominated by Democrats and a southern state dominated by Republicans. We were interested in looking at the opinions of the residents of these two states related to gambling activities and sports gambling,” said Dr. Peter Francia, director of the CSR.

Significant findings include:

  • 1 in 4 residents polled reported gambling on the Super Bowl.
  • Religion and partisan identification have little influence on support for legalized sports gambling.
  • People who think legalized sports gambling is good for their state’s economy outnumber those who think it’s bad by a 3-to-1 margin.
  • Only 26 percent of respondents thought gambling on sports was morally wrong.

The center’s national poll, conducted last summer, showed Americans in support of legalized sports gambling by a 2 to 1 margin. In this latest poll of respondents from Mississippi and New Jersey, supporters of legalized sports gambling outnumbered opponents by a 3 to 1 margin in both states.

The CSR polled more than 1,000 adults, 21 and older, in New Jersey and Mississippi Feb. 6-12.

ECU’s Center for Survey Research (CSR) has delivered data-based research expertise to various agencies, organizations and interest groups across eastern North Carolina since 1989. Our methods of professional public opinion assessment and organizational evaluation have earned CSR the reputation as the premier provider of quality consulting services in our region.

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ECU News Services
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Phone: 252-328-6481
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Contact: Jamie Smith, ECU News Services, smithjami15@ecu.edu, 252-328-6481 or 252-328-1162

Link to full report: Who Bet the Big Game? https://surveyresearch.ecu.edu/lifelibertyhappiness/