You will agree that the sports betting industry in the US has really come a long way. With the rise of online platforms, for instance, you no longer need to access a physical location to place bets on your favorite team. All you need is proper internet connectivity and a few taps on your smartphone, and you will be good to get started.
This increased convenience is actually one of the reasons Grand View Research expects the American market to hit $19.76 billion, up from $17.94 billion in 2024. But besides the rise of online platforms, legal sports betting is also changing how fans engage. Interestingly, of the 50 states in the US, 39 have already legalized sports gambling.
Therefore, seeing betting ads flood every corner of these states shouldn’t be surprising because legalization provides good grounds for sportsbooks to push hard to turn supporters into bettors. For instance, when BetMGM is legal in Missouri, it will offer more than convenient access to betting experiences. Game days could become betting days while tailgates turn into mini-strategy sessions. So, are legal sites really drawing college sports fans?
Statistics that might intrigue you
Can you believe that, according to the Guardian, legal March Madness gambling alone was expected to generate about $2.7 billion in 2024? In another study by the American Gaming Association (AGA), experts noted that Americans would wager over $3 billion on college basketball tournaments in 2025.
This significant growth highlights how Americans, including college sports fans, are increasingly turning to legal wagering options. The Collegian published a report along these lines, claiming that 93% of bettors found legal sites to be more fun and exciting. But, of course, this doesn’t mean that offshore sites will automatically lose their hold on this market.
Scrapping off a sector that collects over $511 billion from Americans is not just a one-day thing. Remember, offshore sportsbooks have the advantage of improved customer experience and better odds and bonuses. If legal sites have to outpace them, they must figure out how to provide some of these features while still complying with the law.
The appeal of trust
Cyberattacks are everywhere, and the sports betting world is not exempt. In fact, just recently, Enzoic released a report claiming that more than half of sports betting websites reported encountering cyberattacks. Worse still, about four in ten online sports bettors experienced fraud associated with their betting accounts.
And since punters, including college sports fans, have become aware of the growing number of cyberattacks, they have become more careful about their online security. As such, most will often survey for things like licenses and other security measures before participating. And now that spotting a license on a legal site is easy, it makes sense to see regulated platforms drawing the attention of more college supporters.
Before being licensed, platforms always undergo serious scrutiny by the government to ensure fans engage in a safe environment. But this is not so with offshore sportsbooks, explaining why security-conscious fans would rather gamble on regulated sites.
Imagine depositing funds on a platform only for your account to disappear after a short while. How do you even follow up with the site if your local government doesn’t recognize it? To avoid such pains, many sports supporters prefer wagering on regulated sportsbooks that can be held accountable by the respective regulatory authorities.
Regulated platforms also know how to engage fans
Besides safety, there are other factors bettors look for in gambling websites. That’s where things like bonuses come in handy. Take no-deposit bonuses, for instance. All you need to do is sign up, and the site will add a free bet credit to your account, which you can use without necessarily funding your account.
Such features often increase customer engagement and can help draw new fans and retain existing ones. Incorporating features like live streaming also ensures that more fans remain glued to these sites. The all-in-one experience reduces the hassle of finding alternative streaming or viewing platforms, keeping fans more connected. The more engaged fans become, the more likely they are to become loyal.
At a time when everyone seeks instant experiences, these platforms have also adopted technologies that allow for real-time engagement. Payment methods like PayPal have become common ways of catering to the growing need for faster and cheaper transactions. According to Testlio, about seven in ten users expect payments to be processed in no more than 2 seconds. Of course, you don’t expect this preference to be very different among college sports fans, explaining why instant payments can help attract them.
Customer-centricity amid legal compliance
As much as complying with the regulatory standards is important, you want to ensure your sportsbook is customer-friendly; otherwise, you may never stand out in this sector. Remember, punters do not just want a safe environment – they want every part of the experience to be easy.
Thankfully, legal sports betting sites have discovered this preference and are working hard to cater to it. That’s why you may have seen some of them personalizing experiences to speak to fans’ unique tastes. Personalization gives the impression that they care about customers, drawing the attention of college sports fans seeking such experiences.
If this and many other customer-focused trends, like adopting instant payments, become the norm, legal sportsbooks could continue to attract more college fans in the coming days.
