More than half of U.S. sports bettors surveyed in 2026 said they had placed wagers in an effort to pay household bills, highlighting the connection between sports betting and personal finances among some participants.

The survey covered 1,200 Americans who had placed a sports bet during the previous year. Researchers conducted it between August 31 and September 3. Among respondents, 51% said they had wagered hoping to cover bills, while 21% reported betting to help pay rent or a mortgage.

Sports wagering remains frequent among many of those surveyed. Around 57% said they bet at least weekly, including 17% who wager daily. Half reported that their typical individual wager was below $25.

The findings arrive during another NFL season in a U.S. market where legal wagering has expanded significantly. Sports betting is legal in 39 states and Washington, D.C. Americans wagered almost $167 billion on sports during 2025, up 11% from the previous year. Legal NFL betting is expected to reach $29.5 billion during the current season through the Super Bowl in February.

Betting Debt Declines From Last Year’s Survey

The U.S. News & World Report survey found that 19% of respondents currently have outstanding debt connected to sports betting. That represented a decline from its 2025 survey, when 30% reported wagering-related debt. Most bettors with outstanding debt said they owed less than $1,000.

Debt levels differed sharply according to betting frequency. Among respondents who wager on sports every day, 40% said they had debts they attributed to their betting activity.

Borrowing money to fund wagers was also common. Forty-five percent of respondents said they had borrowed money to place sports bets. 23% had used a credit card cash advance, while 21% had borrowed from a friend. Personal loans accounted for 13%, and another 11% reported using a high-interest payday loan.

Some respondents also linked wagering to specific financial obligations. Eighteen percent said they had placed bets hoping to cover credit card debt, while the same percentage cited unexpected expenses. More than 5% reported wagering in an effort to pay student loans, and 2% identified tuition expenses.

Household income also corresponded with differences in betting habits. Among respondents with household incomes of at least six figures, 68% said they wagered weekly. Sixty-one percent of that income group reported placing typical bets of $25 or more.

Across the full sample, 36% said they were betting more during 2026 than in previous years, while 32% said they had reduced their betting activity.

Bettors Report Mixed Effects on Personal Finances

Despite the levels of borrowing and debt reported in the survey, 17% of respondents said sports betting had negatively affected their financial health. Twice that proportion, 34%, described the impact on their finances as positive. Around half reported no positive or negative financial effect.

Concerns about gambling control appeared among 22% of those surveyed. Within that group, 48% had debt they attributed to sports betting.

Personal relationships were another area covered by the research. Fourteen percent said betting had negatively affected their relationships. Respondents described cases involving financial stress and money borrowed from relatives or friends, while others regarded wagering as a shared activity with people close to them.

The survey also showed continued growth in the overlap between sports wagering and prediction markets. Forty-one percent of the sports bettors surveyed said they had participated in prediction markets, and 55% of those participants viewed prediction-market trading as no different from betting.

Sports represented the most popular type of prediction-market activity among the respondents. Forty-five percent of those using the markets also traded contracts involving current events, while 36% participated in entertainment or culture markets.

Prediction Markets Add Another Factor

Prediction-market activity has grown considerably over the past year. Monthly volume increased from less than $5 billion in September 2025 to around $24 billion by April 2026, according to research cited in the survey.

The increase has also become part of discussions about sports betting growth. The American Gaming Association expects legal NFL wagering volume to remain broadly flat at $29.5 billion during the 2026 season, with slower expansion into new states and competition from prediction markets among the factors cited.

Prediction markets generated more than $8 billion in trading volume over the weekend preceding its September 22 report. Kalshi recorded $3 billion in trading volume on Saturday.

The latest U.S. News survey nonetheless showed a year-over-year decline in the share of bettors carrying outstanding wagering debt. At the same time, its findings showed that borrowing to place bets remains common among respondents, while more than half have used sports wagers in an attempt to meet household expenses.