Survey: 51% Of Sports Bettors Wager To Help Pay Bills
More than half of Americans who placed a sports bet in the past year did so to help cover household bills, according to a new U.S. News & World Report survey that highlights the financial pressure building around legal wagering.
The survey polled 1,200 Americans who had placed at least one sports bet in the previous 12 months, with fieldwork conducted between August 31 and September 3.
It found that 51% had bet in an attempt to cover bills, and 21% said they had wagered specifically to help pay rent or a mortgage.
Daily Bettors Face The Highest Debt Levels
Frequent wagers on sports betting was common among respondents: 57% said they bet on sports weekly and 17% said they bet daily.
Nearly one in five respondents, 19%, said they currently carry sports betting debt, and that figure rose to 40% among people who bet every day.
Borrowing money to fund bets was also widespread: 45% of respondents said they had done so, including 13% who took out a personal loan and 11% who used a high-interest payday loan.
Most Bettors Don't See A Downside
Not everyone surveyed viewed the impact negatively. Only 17% said sports betting was hurting their financial health, while 34% said it had a positive impact and roughly half reported no meaningful effect either way.
Some respondents described more serious consequences, including one bettor who said they lost money set aside for their children's Christmas gifts and had to borrow from relatives to cover the shortfall.
The findings add to a growing body of research, including a separate Urban Institute survey earlier this year, examining how sports betting is affecting household finances as the legal market matures across the US.
Part Of A Wider Pattern
The findings echo a similar U.S. News survey conducted in mid-2025, which also found a growing share of bettors describing sports wagering as a financial burden rather than pure entertainment.
Separately, roughly 30% of bettors in the new survey said they have debt they attribute directly to gambling, and of that group, more than half owe $500 or more.
The results add to mounting scrutiny of how regulated sportsbooks market promotional offers, with consumer advocates pointing to bonus-bet and free-bet campaigns as a factor that can encourage heavier betting than players originally intended.
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