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With Optimove, a customer data platform for marketers, publishing a new study on NFL wagering intentions as the NFL season draws to a close, bookmakers will be able to better package their products to bettors this season.
Start of the Regular Season
The real action begins on September 4 at 8:20 p.m. EST when the Dallas Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles, who are defending the Super Bowl.
A representative for ESPN BET claims that a customer wagered $50,000 on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to win NFL Regular Season MVP at +550. The wager would pay out $325,000. Things are becoming serious.
The Ravens are favored by bettors
With two-thirds of bets and handling on the AFC North champion, the Ravens are the third most-bet Super Bowl winner on ESPN BET, after the Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
The 2025–2026 Consumer Report on NFL Wagering Intentions by Optimove explores the methods and motivations of NFL game wagerers.
According to Optimove's August survey of 425 NFL bettors, 77% of them want to continue placing bets throughout the forthcoming season, regardless of whether their preferred team makes it to the playoffs and the Super Bowl, which will take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The respondents had household incomes exceeding $75,000 and were over the age of 21.
Reduced Preference for In-Game Gambling
Indeed, 82% of respondents stated that they will keep betting even after their preferred team has lost, and 83% stated that they will wager on the Super Bowl regardless of the teams who are competing.
Additional intriguing results from the research:
In-game live betting has decreased to 75% from 85% the previous year, while pre-game betting is still the most popular option, with 48% of respondents choosing to do so. Operators should consider this drop in in-game interest when developing marketing or advertising centered around in-play betting services, according to a statement from Optimove.
The most popular bet type is point spreads (61%), which are followed by moneyline (52%), and over/under (47%).
Customization Promotes Retention
It should come as no surprise that the study discovered that 76% of bettors use online or mobile platforms, and 80% use two or more platforms every week. Only 15% place in-person bets at casinos, while 9% depend on friends or bookmakers.
Email (40%) and text messaging (25%) are the most popular channels for marketing bettors because they allow operators to send timely, pertinent messages that are connected to individual interests, which increases engagement.
"This report can be a roadmap for sportsbook operators to win bettors’ loyalty this NFL season,” said Tomer Imber, Sr. Director of Sales, U.S. Gaming at Optimove. “Bettors want personalized, real-time, mobile-first experiences.”
Other Findings
- 64% of respondents said they placed bets weekly last season, including 34% who bet several times per week, and 30% who bet once a week.
- Bettors anticipate being active – 72% expect to place multiple bets during the 2025-2026 season.
- Player performance (58%), point spreads and odds (56%), and team loyalty (55%) were the most significant drivers of betting behavior for the upcoming 2025/26 season. Promotions and bonuses sway 41% of bettors, while expert analysis (28%) and the added excitement of watching games (24%) play roles as well.
- Only 2% said betting detracts from their enjoyment watching an NFL game.
Average Bets
Sports websites and apps continue to be the most popular research sources for placing bets (61%), followed by social media (49%) and tipsters (45%).
FanDuel (21%) and DraftKings (29%) continue to lead in terms of preferred platforms. Caesars (4%) and BetMGM (10%) are also in the upper echelons. "No preference" received a 9% rating.
In most games, 60% of bettors wager between $11 and $100, with 31% wagering between $11 and $50 and 29% wagering between $51 and $100. Just 4% reported placing a wager of more than $500.
