What Sport Will Become the Most Popular Betting Sport in the USA?

The legalization of sports betting in the USA has taken the industry to a whole new level. With more states looking to jump on board to allow sports betting in the future, things are only going to keep getting bigger and better for players.
But when the dust has settled, and a regular stream of gamblers are set in their ways, which of the big four US sporting leagues will become the most popular betting sport?

Instantly, many will say the NFL, purely because this is the most popular of the four sports, and NFL Sundays are in many ways perfect for betting. At the end of the season, the Super Bowl takes place, which will almost certainly be the biggest single betting event each year. The 2022 Super Bowl is not too far away, and the latest sports betting odds have Green Bay Packers as +375 favorites to win that event, though the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, 2021 winners the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Buffalo Bills are all in behind them looking to stake their claim.

While the stand-alone Super Bowl matchup stands out, does the NFL stand out enough to be considered the biggest betting sport?

Regular Games Help NBA and NHL

One negative for the NFL is the fact that most games are played on the same day, with the exception of Thursday night football and Monday night football. This is good for those wanting to bet on parlays, as they can place one bet across the day and see each selection play on that day. However, for those wanting the chance to bet regularly, on multiple occasions during the week, the NFL schedule does not work.

The @FlaPanthers and @NJDevils are looking to pick up their fourth consecutive wins tonight. 👀

The @FlaPanthers and @NJDevils are looking to pick up their fourth consecutive wins tonight. 👀

Predictions? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8d462MddQy

— NHL (@NHL) January 4, 2022

This is a great plus for the NHL and NBA, two sports that have games almost every single day of their season, even if there are just one or two of them on some nights. If you take a look at the upcoming NHL schedule then you will see, off days are almost non-existent. Both sports have a great mix of busy and quiet nights, but crucially, they offer games almost every single night for players to enjoy.

The MLB may not be as popular as the other three sports, but what it does have is the benefit of a big window during the summer where other sports are not taking place. If you want to bet in part of June, all of July, and August, then your only option is the MLB, with the other three sports being in their off-season.

This could lead to some betting sites wanting to become partners with MLB teams, specifically for this period. Sportsbooks will be looking to grow their social media reach with US bettors, some of that may get lost during the winter months with so much taking place, but in the summer, with MLB only, that may be much easier for them to do.

It may be unlikely, but there is a chance for the MLB to be more popular for betting, than how popular it actually is as a sport.