ESPN Bet, Fanatics Making Inroads with Key Demographics

By Michael Harrison

December 5, 2024 at 12:13 AM

ESPN Bet and Fanatics are making significant headway with key demographics in the US sports betting market, despite DraftKings and FanDuel's dominant 70% market share.

Fans watching basketball at betting venue

Fans watching basketball at betting venue

Morgan Stanley's third biannual sports betting survey reveals that ESPN Bet leads among young bettors (ages 21-34) with 44% market share, slightly ahead of bet365 at 43%. Meanwhile, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook dominate the baby boomer segment, largely due to their connection with physical casinos and rewards programs.

Young bettors (21-34) are particularly valuable to operators because they:

  • Place more frequent bets (60% bet 3+ times weekly vs. 47% average)
  • Make larger wagers ($58 average vs. $49.50 overall)
  • Prefer high-margin parlay bets (60% favor parlays and same-game parlays)

Baby boomers tend to be more conservative, averaging $31 per sports bet.

Female bettors are emerging as a significant market segment:

  • Represent nearly one-third of all US sports bettors
  • Place larger average bets than men ($51.10 vs. $48.60)
  • Favor Fanatics (39% market share) and Caesars Sportsbook (38%)
  • Make up 22% of both DraftKings' and FanDuel's user base

Morgan Stanley suggests operators should expand parlay marketing beyond young bettors, given these wagers' high hold percentages and positive impact on industry growth.

Note: Some social media users have questioned Fanatics' female user statistics, suggesting possible manipulation through account sharing, though this practice affects multiple operators in the industry.

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