Industry Demographics

Introduction

The Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association prides itself on providing the industry and our members with the most accurate, up-to-date and impactful metrics to help guide business decisions. All of the in-depth statistics are free of charge to our members. Just one of the many member benefits that our association offers.

Industry At A Glance

(Note: the information on this page is drawn from several research studies, each with a slightly different cross-section of subjects. Some were U.S. and Canada (12+), some were U.S. only (18+), some were people who identified as serious fantasy players or sports bettors – so please allow for some minor discrepancies when cobbling numbers together across the categories)

Demographics (from our 2022 survey):

Fantasy players

  • 67% male, 33% female
  • 48% are between the ages of 18 -34
  • 66% are employed full-time
  • 69% make more than $40,000

Sports bettors

  • 66% male, 34% female
  • 45% are between the ages of 18-34
  • 62% are employed full-time
  • 69% make more than $40,000

Currently, 24% of Americans aged 18+ participate in sports betting. And 20% of Americans aged 18+ participate in fantasy sports.

The fantasy sports number has grown from 13% in 2014, while sports betting has grown from 19% in 2019.


81% of fantasy sports players bet on sports in 2022 compared to 78% in 2018. And 68% of sports bettors played fantasy sports in 2022 compared to 75% in 2018.


What do season-long fantasy sports players play?

  • 54% of fantasy participants play fantasy football.
  • 25% play fantasy baseball
  • 22% play fantasy basketball (NBA)
  • 18% NCAA Football
  • 14% NCAA Basketball
  • 14% CFL
  • 14% NASCAR
  • 14% USFL
  • 13% NHL
  • 12% eSports
  • 12% Soccer
  • 11% MMA
  • 11% Golf
  • 6% Bachlor

What sports are the most popular to bet on?

  • 60% NFL
  • 41% NBA
  • 31% MLB
  • 29% NCAA Football
  • 28% NCAA Basketball
  • 22% Boxing
  • 20% NHL
  • 20% MMA
  • 16% Pro Soccer Leagues
  • 14% Golf
  • 14% eSports
  • 12% NASCAR
  • 11% International Soccer Tournaments
  • 11% Tennis
  • 5% CFL

In 2018, our research found that 79% of fantasy players said there’s at least a good possibility they’d bet on sports if and when a bill is passed to legalize it in their state.


Our 2017 study found that the average fantasy sports player spends a significant amount annually on research materials, subscriptions, parties, fees, and more.

These include:

  • 73% of fantasy players who pay for non-cash prizes (like a trophy or belt)
  • 84% of fantasy players have a draft party. The median spend for the league’s party is $653.
  • at these draft parties, 93% of leagues spend money on food ($180 league median spend), 91% buy alcohol ($189), 86% buy soda ($100), and 73% have spent on live entertainment ($160).
  • 68% of fantasy players spend money on a league punishment (like a tattoo, toilet bowl trophy, etc)

In 2022, there were 62.5 million people playing fantasy sports in the USA and Canada.

YearEstimated Number of Players
1988500,000
1991-19941 – 3 Million
200315.2 Million
200413.5 Million
200512.6 Million
200618 Million
200719.4 Million
200829.9 Million
200928.4 Million
201032 Million
201135.9 Million
201441.5 Million
201556.8 Million
201657.4 Million
201759.3 Million
202262.5 Million
FIGURE 1. Number of fantasy sports players by year
YearEstimated Number of Players
201542 Million
201642.8 Million
201743.2 Million
201945.9 Million
202250.4 Million
FIGURE 2. US-only, 18+ year-old fantasy sports players