--- title: "Damning Analysis Finds That Sports Betting Platforms Are Making Almost All Their Revenue Off Problem Gamblers" description: "A new analysis found that digital sportsbooks are making the vast majority of their revenue off of a small amount of habitual gamblers." date: "2026-11-11" modified: "2026-11-11" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/analysis-sports-betting-platforms-revenue-problem-addiction" categories: - "Finance" - "Future Society" --- # Damning Analysis Finds That Sports Betting Platforms Are Making Almost All Their Revenue Off Problem Gamblers ![A man looking at his smartphone while watching soccer on the TV.]() *Shutterstock / Futurism* Digital betting platforms have exploded into the American zeitgeist over the past few years. These digital sportsbooks are often framed as whimsical apps designed for amusing little small-time bets, but the reality is that they've plunged [tens of millions of people]() into gambling debt. According to a [bombshell analysis by *Bloomberg*](), the least active two-thirds of sportsbook gamblers account for just 2.7 percent of estimated revenue — meaning that the remaining 33 percent of highly-active bettors account for the overwhelming bulk of the industry's earnings. That finding has some major implications for the gambling industry, which in 2025 was a [more lucrative trade]() than film, video games, music, books, and museums combined. Without the gamblers who see fit to pay into their various betting apps hundreds of times a year, *Bloomberg* observes, digital sportsbooks could lose around 60 percent of their revenue. The vast majority of gamblers, the analysis found, lost about 39 cents for every dollar they deposited into their apps. But for the top one percent of depositors lost nearly twice that rate, about 78 cents on the dollar. Sportsbooks deny this reality profusely, framing their apps as entertainment products used by the majority of gamblers for brief — but fun — hits of excitement. "As we have noted repeatedly, FanDuel is an entertainment product," a FanDuel spokesperson told *Bloomberg*. "Every customer has a robust and easy-to-use suite of tools that support informed and controlled play — including deposit limits, timeouts and the ability to easily self-exclude with a few clicks." But the gulf between that statement and the findings in *Bloomberg*'s analysis is so wide that it's downright insulting. Of course, it's well known that sportsbooks and other gambling companies exploit addicts and casual bettors alike — but these findings make it clear that the sportsbook market *needs* the former to make its windfall profits. Put another way, the industry has a crystal clear financial incentive to push as many Americans as possible [into problem gambling]() territory, which probably explains why so many sports betting ads are flooding [college campuses]() and the [social media feeds]() of very young adults. **More on gambling:** *[Democrats Preparing Crackdown on Prediction Markets]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Bill Gates Admits to Multiple Affairs in Epstein Fallout]() - [The Venezuela Polymarket Scandal Is Looking Really Bad]() - [Stan Lee Resuscitated for AI-Powered Hologram at Comic Con]() - [Insider Trading on Polymarket Is Revealing Military Secrets]() - [Fed Boss Concerned About AI’s Effect on Job Market]() - [Attention Writers: Anthropic Might Owe You $3000 (or More!) If It Was Trained Using Your Work]() - [Wall Street Analyst Warns That Nvidia Is Facing Serious Trouble]() - [Nvidia Is Quaking in Its Boots]()