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How much money is wagered on NBA basketball?
While much of the total figure of the amount of money wagered on NBA games is unaccounted for because offshore wagering in other international jurisdictions, we know that Nevada’s legal sportsbooks can average over $500 million in wagers per month by bettors.
Several other states have added legal sports wagering since the United States Supreme Court overturned federal sports betting ban on May 14, 2018.
Those markets, although still fledgling, are beginning to add to the amount of overall money being wagered on NBA basketball, although trailing the Nevada numbers, including significantly in the newest markets.
Offshore sportsbooks aren’t required to release the figures on how much money is being wagered by their customers, or how much they are holding (winning) from the customers’ bets.
The American Gaming Association estimates that over $50 billion was wagered on sports other than football by U.S.-based gamblers with non-U.S. gaming companies each year.
Wagering on NBA games is also conducted at brick-and-mortar establishments by lottery companies in Canada, which run a parlay card-style proposition. Betting on sports on the internet with companies outside of Canada is legal that country.
The NBA is widely regarded as the first of the major sports leagues to take a lead role in advocating in favor of sports betting.
The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, has been progressive in his views of how legal sports wagering can help in securing the integrity of the league’s contests.