GeoComply recorded 242.3 million geolocation transactions from U.S. mobile sportsbook customers from Sept. 3-10, the first week of the NFL season. According to the geolocation company, that represents a 56% increase from the same time period in 2022.
There was also a surge of new bettors, with 1.1 million new online sportsbook accounts created during the week. That’s a 40% increase from 2022.
Geolocation transactions spiked after the Detroit Lions took a 7-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in the first game of the NFL season. GeoComply reported 4,200 transactions per second immediately following the Lions’ early score.
Online sports bettors tend to use their phone, rather than computers. GeoComply’s data shows that 97% of online sports wagering transactions during Week 1 of the NFL season occurred on mobile devices. Of those, 75% were on iOS devices.
Notable state data
GeoComply also shared data from states that recently had mobile sportsbooks go live. In Ohio, which saw mobile sportsbooks launch in January, 133,000 new mobile sports betting accounts were created from Sept. 3-10.
Massachusetts bettors created 59,000 new accounts. The state’s mobile sports betting market launched in March.
Even Maryland, where legal mobile sportsbooks went live last November, saw customers create 61,000 new sports betting accounts.
All three of those states saw at least 9 million geolocation transactions during the first week of the NFL season. Ohio paced the three states, with 19.2 million geolocation transactions during the week. The Cleveland Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3 in a meeting of the state’s two NFL teams.
Bettors want legal options
GeoComply found that customers in several states without legal mobile sportsbooks accessed accounts, perhaps with the goal of using a regulated sports betting platform.
There were over 500,000 geolocation checks in Missouri during the first week of the season. GeoComply reported 38,000 active accounts in the state.
Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, and Mississippi all had at least 50,000 geolocation transactions during the NFL’s first week. South Carolina had 37,000 geolocation transactions.
“While the increase in our transaction volume emphasizes the appetite for regulated online sports betting, our data also accentuates an urgent call to action,” GeoComply co-founder and CEO Anna Sainsbury said in a press release. “States without regulated online sports betting should get off the legalization sidelines and unlock their ability to protect consumers and generate significant tax revenue.”
GeoComply estimates that each of those six states is leaving at least $24 million of annual tax revenue behind by not having legalized mobile sportsbooks. The company estimates Georgia could generate $89 million annually in tax revenue based on population size, projected GGR, and assuming a 15% tax rate.
