For over 15 years, FSGA has been tracking demographic and behavioral data on the wide world of fantasy sports players. Below is a comprehensive list of the research that is available for download and purchase.
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Key Objectives:
- What is the current incidence of fantasy sports and sports betting participation in the U.S. and Canada? How has this changed since last year?
- What are the key demographics of a fantasy player and sports bettor, and how do these compare to the general population?
- Which sports do next generation season-long fantasy players join? How do they play, and who do they play with?
- What content are next generation fantasy players consuming? What resources or advice do they use to set their lineups?
- What is the potential for them to expand into daily fantasy and sports betting?
Exploring fantasy & betting habits, with a dive into sports betting sweepstakes awareness & usage and sentiment towards advertising.
Topics Covered:
Traditional Sport Fans vs. Fantasy Sport Users
Men & Women Fantasy Sport Consumption
Motives for Participation and Consumption
Youth Sport Fandom and Fantasy Sport Participation
Demographic Trends & Minority Participation
Season-Long vs. DFS Profiles
Ways to Migrate Non-Players into the Industry
Fantasy Sports Participants and Sports Betting
Full-Season, DFS, & Sports Betting Profile
Sports Betting Insight
The 2024 FSGA Summer Conference research explores player behavior, platform usage, and emerging trends in fantasy sports and sports betting across North America, with a spotlight on AI and responsible gaming.
Key Highlights:
- Stable Participation with U.S. Leading: 74 million U.S. adults participated in fantasy sports or sports betting in the past year, outpacing Canada in both volume and crossover between the two activities.
- AI & Platform Trends: Fantasy players, especially younger and dual-format users, are increasingly using AI tools for lineup and bet optimization, while online sportsbooks now dominate betting activity, led by DraftKings and FanDuel.
- Responsible Gaming & Perception of Skill: Most players use at least one strategy to manage responsible play. Fantasy players tend to view themselves as more skilled, though higher self-reported skill correlates with larger reported losses.
The 2024 FSGA Research Study highlights rising engagement in fantasy sports and sports betting, with sharper user habits and evolving attitudes toward content and responsible gaming.
Key Highlights:
- Participation is up: 85 million U.S. adults took part in fantasy sports or sports betting, both reaching all-time highs with more users choosing just one activity.
- Content drives engagement: Fantasy players rely heavily on diverse resources, especially advanced tools like AI and analytics, while bettors use fewer and find them less helpful.
- Responsible gaming awareness: Most users set personal limits and recognize warning signs, but few read disclaimers or choose platforms based on RG efforts.
The fantasy sports and sports betting industries have just scratched the surface when it comes to potential participants.
Key Highlights:
- While both fantasy sports and sports betting markets have experienced significant recent growth, the vast majority of Americans still have not participated; ~203 million American adults did not play fantasy in the past year, and ~193 million American adults did not bet on sports.
- The opportunity for further growth is large; among those that don’t participate, there is a significant pool of prospective new players and bettors; ~19 million and 17 million current non-players/bettors are at least somewhat likely to start playing fantasy and betting on sports respectively in the next year.
- NFL and NBA represent the most common entry points of any league.
- Sports fandom continues to be highly characteristic of prospective fantasy players and sports bettors, but it is not a “silver bullet;” other criteria must be met to induce intent to participate – even among the biggest fans.
- Added stress, lack of perceived “fun,” and not feeling knowledgeable enough to win are the top current barriers to trial for both fantasy and sports betting alike.
- Increasing non-participators’ confidence in their ability to win (through messaging and further education on gameplay) is a great opportunity to grow player-ship in both fantasy and sports betting. This would help to mitigate multiple top barriers to play (for both fantasy sports and sports betting) across each opportunity group.
- Prospective new players' and bettors’ demographics are more closely aligned with the general population than the current players and bettors, which suggests the demographic skews may continue to decrease as the markets grow.
We’ve talked often about wanting a deeper look into how Canadian players are engaging with sports betting and fantasy sports. Thanks to new research conducted by Angus Reid Group - and shared exclusively with FSGA - we can finally provide some of that insight.
Key Highlights:
-Participation estimates for sports betting and fantasy sports
-Engagement rate amongst the full population
-Breakdown of engagement among fantasy sports players and sports bettors
-Ontario-specific figures
With all that’s happened in the last few years, from the pandemic to changing laws and new jurisdictions in the North American market, we look at how many fans are engaging (and re-engaging) in their favorite sports. This research pertains to both sports betting and fantasy sports. It’ll be a deep dive into consumer participation, motivation, how the events of the last few years are shaping habits and an analysis of the market direction and go-forward potential.
Key Highlights:
1. Determine the incidence of Fantasy Sports and Sports Betting participation in the U.S., the degree of crossover between the two markets, and any key shifts from 2019.
2. Explore league participation among Fantasy Players and Sports Bettors, and how that compares to 2019.
3. Update the key market demographics of a Fantasy Player and Sports Bettor, and how these compare to the general population.
With the sports betting landscape changing rapidly in the U.S, the FSGA partnered with Ipsos to get answers to three key questions: (1) Who are the fantasy players and sports bettors, and are they separate audiences? (2) What's it like in New Jersey, One Year Later; and (3) What are the consumer trends of fantasy players and sports bettors? The full research report is available for download now!
The research aimed at determining the sports-wagering habits of fantasy sports players following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).
Fantasy sports is a big business. So what does it take to win? The research explores the spending behaviors of traditional fantasy and daily fantasy players (age 18+), and also how they are playing across various platforms, such as computers, mobile devices and emerging media.
Fantasy sports is a big business. So what does it take to win? The research explores the spending behaviors of traditional fantasy and daily fantasy players (age 18+), and also how they are playing across various platforms, such as computers, mobile devices and emerging media.
The research examines the incidence of fantasy sports participation with a special look at "Never Players "-those who identify as never playing fantasy sports. The research attempts to understand why they don't play, how many are willing to play, and to compare and contrast demographics against fantasy players.
The research examines the incidence of fantasy sports participation with a special look at mobile behavior, attitudinal findings, participation, and team ownership.
The research examines the incidence of fantasy sports participation with a special look at technology usage and player spending on fantasy sports.
The research examines the incidence of fantasy sports participation in the US and Canada.
The research examines the incidence of fantasy sports participation with a deeper investigation into why consumers begin their fantasy sport play with focus on gender.
The research examines the incidence of fantasy sports participation with a deeper investigation into why consumers begin their fantasy sport play with focus on gender.