From August 29 to 31, 2025, we surveyed Canadians and Americans on their sports betting habits, as well involvement in fantasy sports.
Highlights include…
- There are slightly fewer sports bettors and fantasy sports players in Canada and the U.S. compared to one year ago, however both remain popular activities: 19% of Canadians and 26% of Americans have bet on sports in the past year, compared to 21% and 30% respectively from last year.
- Sports betting and fantasy sports continue to be more widespread among Americans than Canadians: 18% of Americans have participated in fantasy sports leagues over the past year, compared to 14% of Canadians.
- The NHL remains the top sport to bet on or play fantasy sports in among Canadians: 41% of Canadian sports bettors have bet on the NHL in the last year, compared to 26% for the NFL, and 21% for the NBA. As well, 32% of Canadian fantasy sports players played NHL fantasy hockey.
- NFL remains the top sport among Americans for both activities, as 52% of American fantasy sports players played fantasy NFL football, and 59% of American sports bettors bet on the NFL in the past year.
- Betting on NFL in the past year has declined among Canadians, as 26% of Canadian sports bettors bet on the NFL in the past year, a drop from 37% last year. However, betting on MLB has increased among Americans year-over-year, as 40% of American sports bettors bet on the MLB in the past year, an increase from 28% last year.
- Among those who intend to continue betting this coming Fall (i.e., bet last year and will bet again this year), their betting activity/spend is likely to increase compared to last year, especially in the U.S. For example, 56% of American NBA bettors, 42% of American NHL bettors, and 45% of American NFL bettors from last year who intend to continue betting this year said they will increase their betting spend this season.
- American bettors are more likely than Canadian bettors to engage in alternative betting types like Micro betting, Exchange betting, eSports betting, and nearly double Canadian bettors in live betting. For example, 39% of American bettors have placed live/in-play bets in the past year, compared to 22% of Canadian bettors.
- Canadians continue to be more likely to feel there are too many sports betting ads, however this sentiment is growing among Americans year-over-year: 75% of Canadians and 59% of Americans who have seen sports betting ads believe there are too many sports betting ads. This is an increase from 52% in the US last year.
- Canadians are more opposed to sports media companies associating with betting companies than Americans. 51% of Canadians agree with the statement, compared to 30% of Americans.
- 49% of bettors in both countries say real-time odds shown on screen increase their likelihood of betting on the game.
Methodology
This web survey on the economy was conducted from August 29 to 31, 2025, with 1,621 Canadians and 1,015 U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel.
A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than ±2.42%, (19 times out of 20) for the Canadian sample and ±3.05%, (19 times out of 20) for the American sample.
