UNF Poll: Florida Places Its Bets, and Pushes Back

New data show Floridians betting in growing numbers, chasing smaller wins than they expect, and questioning the integrity of the games they watch and the laws that permit it

May 14, 2026

In a poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) and Sport Impact Jax (SIJ) of 823 registered Florida voters, nearly one in four Floridians (24%) report ever placing a sports bet through an online or mobile application, and 21% have placed a sports bet at least a few times in the past year. Only 15%, however, want the state to expand legal sports betting. Forty-six percent want to restrict or limit it, and 37% would keep current regulations in place.

The survey conducted January 30 to February 3, 2026, provides a comprehensive snapshot of Florida’s sports-betting market to date, including who participates, how much they wager, the platforms they use, how marketing influences behavior, and how the broader public views the integrity of the games in a betting-driven environment.

A small, active, and concentrated market

Online sports bettors in Florida skew male (32% of men vs. 17% of women have ever bet online), younger (29% of 18 to 34 vs. 16% of those 55 or older), greater in South Florida (30%) than in North Florida (20%), and more educated (34% with a bachelor’s degree or higher vs. 19% of those without one).

Most bettors reported starting at age 25 or older. Among online bettors, 30% placed their first online sports bet between ages 25 and 34, 18% each between 18 and 24, 35 and 44, and 45 and 54, and 15% at age 55 and older. Only 1% say they first bet online before age 18. Florida’s online bettors are heavily consolidated on a small number of platforms. Two-thirds (67%) say Hard Rock Bet, the state’s exclusive retail-mobile partner, is the app they use most. DraftKings is a distant second at 12%, followed by 10% who named a different app, 5% for PrizePicks, 4% for Underdog Fantasy, and 2% for FanDuel.

The NFL dominates what Floridians wager on: 80% of online bettors bet on the NFL in the past year, followed by college football (55%), the NBA or WNBA (52%), Major League Baseball (31%), college basketball (28%), the NHL (26%), soccer (21%), horse racing (17%), and UFC or other mixed martial arts (15%). Moneyline bets are the most common format (60% of bettors), followed by parlays (48%), live in-game bets (43%), over/under (43%), player props (38%), and point spreads (32%).

Sports betting also sits atop a broad base of everyday gambling. Roughly 14% of Floridians play the lottery or visit casinos at least weekly, and 44% do so at least a few times a year. Among online sports bettors, that figure rises sharply, 91% also report engaging in non-sports gambling in the past year, compared with just 33% of non-bettors.

Small wagers, real losses, and low confidence

Most online bets are modest. Among Florida’s online bettors, 43% say they typically wager $1–$10 per bet, 30% wager $10–$20, and 16% wager $20–$50. Just 10% typically bet $50 or more per wager. The median wager on the upcoming Super Bowl was $54, while the largest single bet ever placed clusters in the $10–$50 range for 40% of bettors, with 22% reporting a single bet of $100 or more.

Losses, however, can get larger than typical wagers suggest. Forty-two percent of bettors say their largest single-day loss was between $10 and $50, 18% lost $50–$100, and 30% lost more than $100 in a single day, including 7% who lost more than $500.

Despite the activity, Florida’s bettors are not especially optimistic about their odds. Only 10% of online bettors say they are very confident they can consistently make money betting on sports. Thirty percent are somewhat confident, while 40% are not very confident and 20% are not at all confident. Consistent with that self-awareness, 83% report having taken a break from online sports betting for more than a month at some point in the past year.

When asked what motivates them to bet, 64% cite the chance to make money, 55% excitement or entertainment, 24% enhancing the viewing experience, 17% social reasons, and 7% promotional offers or bonuses.

Ads are everywhere, and promotions work

Nearly every Florida online sports bettor (96%) has seen sports betting advertising in the past year. A majority (58%) say advertising has no effect on their likelihood to place a bet, but 31% say ads make them at least somewhat more likely to bet, while 12% say ads make them less likely.

Promotions appear to carry more weight than general advertising. Seventy-three percent of online bettors say they have placed a bet because of a promotion or bonus offer, and 18% say special promotions or boosted odds strongly or very strongly influence their decision to place a bet. Another 29% say promotions are moderately influential.

Sports-betting content has also worked its way into sports media. Seventy-four percent of online bettors watch sports shows that discuss betting odds at least rarely, including 32% who tune in sometimes, often, or always. Among those who watch such shows, 51% agree (10% strongly) that seeing betting odds discussed on sports programs makes them more likely to place a bet.

Integrity under the microscope

Even as participation grows, Floridians have deep and persistent concerns about the integrity of the games being bet on. Fifty-seven percent are moderately or very concerned about professional athletes betting on games they are involved in, including 36% who are very concerned. That concern is far from uniform: 47% of men vs. 27% of women are very concerned, as are 45% of voters 55 and older vs. just 17% of those 18–34. White respondents (43% very concerned) and residents of North Florida (40%) and Central Florida (37%) also register above-average alarm.

The public is drawing a firm line around athletes’ inner circles. Forty-seven percent of Floridians say it is unacceptable, even for athletes’ family or friends, to bet on those athletes’ games. Another 41% say it is acceptable only if no insider information is shared, while 13% view such bets as fully acceptable. Disapproval is strongest among voters with a college degree or higher (53%), Republicans (54%), white respondents (55%), and North Florida residents (59%).

News coverage of illegal betting and match-fixing has moved the needle as well. Sixty-three percent of Floridians say such reports have reduced their trust in professional sports leagues, with 28% reporting a greatly reduced level of trust. Only 2% report increased trust. Reduced trust is broad-based: 69% among sports watchers, 64% among bettors, and 63% among non-bettors.

These concerns are reflected in broader perceptions of the game itself. Sixty-one percent of respondents say the growth of sports betting has made them more likely to question the integrity of game outcomes, and an overwhelming 82% agree with the statement, “Because of increased betting, I sometimes question whether player or referee decisions are influenced by gambling interests.” Notably, this skepticism is nearly identical among sports bettors (84%) and non-bettors (82%).

“When the majority of fans begin to question the integrity of outcomes, leagues are no longer managing perception, they’re defending credibility in real time,” said Dr. Kristi Sweeney, Associate Professor of Sport Management and Co-Director of Sport Impact Jax at UNF. “Leagues will increasingly be judged on whether their enforcement posture matches the expectations of fans, and our data suggest those expectations are only getting stricter as match-fixing stories accumulate.”

Engagement up, confidence down

Legalized betting has not been a one-sided loss in the court of public opinion. A 56% majority of Floridians say sports betting increases fan engagement; a view shared widely across partisan lines, highest among 18–34-year-olds (75%) and online bettors themselves (87%). But even as fans acknowledge heightened engagement, 49% say online sports betting has had a negative effect on sports in general, compared with only 7% who see a positive effect and 42% who report no change. Thirty-two percent say their overall view of sports has changed for the worse since betting was legalized and just 5% report a positive change.

Among online bettors, the sentiment shifts but remains far from positive: 16% say legalization has had a positive effect on sports, yet 30% still describe the effect as negative, and 50% see no change.

“Sports betting is driving engagement, especially among younger fans and bettors, but it’s not without consequence,” said Dr. Sean Davis, Assistant Professor of Sport Management and Co-Director of SIJ. “At the same time, nearly half believe betting is having a negative effect on sports overall, highlighting a growing disconnect between engagement gains and trust.

Where Floridians want the line drawn

Florida voters are nearly evenly split on the recent state law permitting adults aged 21 and older to place sports bets through mobile apps and online platforms: 50% support it (19% strongly) and 49% oppose (23% strongly). Support is higher among men (58%), 18–34-year-olds (63%), respondents with a bachelor’s degree or higher (63%), and Black respondents (62%); it is lower among women (44%) and voters aged 55 and older (41%).

When asked how Florida should proceed, 46% of voters say the state should restrict or limit online sports betting, 37% say keep current regulations in place, and just 15% favor expansion. Restriction leads across nearly every subgroup, with the notable exceptions of online sports bettors (39% want expansion, 47% want current regulations, 12% want restriction) and sports-watchers (42% prefer current regulations). Preference for restriction is strongest among women (53%), college-educated voters (56%), those 55 and older (56%), and South Florida respondents (60%).

“Support for the current system is strongest among those who engage directly in sports betting, while the overall electorate leans toward greater restriction,” Dr. Sean Freeder, UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab Director, added. “This divide between engaged participants and a wider public seeking more oversight is likely to shape the state’s sports-betting policy moving forward.”

For the full survey results and crosstabulations, please see the materials available from PORL.

Methodology

The UNF PORL and Sport Impact Jax 2026 Sports Betting survey consists of 823 registered voters in Florida, and was conducted from January 30 through February 3, 2026, by the Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) at the University of North Florida. This study used a dual-frame sampling design, including respondents from PORL’s Florida statewide online probability panel, supplemented with a random selection from the Florida voter file. To ensure a representative sample of registered voters, the 10 Florida designated media market areas (DMAs) were stratified by geography and urbanicity into 11 different strata, with Miami-Dade County separated into its own stratum due to its unique population.

This study was administered online through Qualtrics, a web survey platform, and distributed via email and text message. Emails and text messages were addressed to the listed voter by name, and the survey was terminated if the recipient was not the listed voter. Unique links used in this study only allow respondents to complete the survey once. The overall response rate for this study is 2.1%, using the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Response Rate 3 (RR3) calculation.

The weighting process has two steps: All data are weighted first by educational attainment, and then by partisan registration, age, race and ethnicity, sex, and geographic strata to match the population of registered Florida voters. Geographical strata, party registration, sex, race and ethnicity, and age weights were calculated using their respective proportions in the Florida Voter File. Education weights were calculated using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 5-year estimates for individuals 25 years of age and over, with those under 25 receiving an education weight of one. All weights are calculated and applied using the SPSS version 30 rake weighting function and assigned a weight of one if any weighting variables are missing. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 4.2 percentage points, including estimated design effect due to weighting. Estimates for smaller subpopulations have greater margins of error, indicating greater uncertainty in the data. It is important to note that sampling error is just one of many potential sources of error. This and all other public opinion research are susceptible to unmeasured, real-world error.

About Sport IMPACT Jax

The University of North Florida’s Sport IMPACT (SIJ) Jax is a cross-disciplinary research initiative designed to amplify the power of sport by connecting communities and research-driven insights. SI Jax combines the survey expertise of UNF's Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) and the sport management knowledge and leadership of our faculty to turn research into real-world impact. For more information, visit the Sport IMPACT Jax website.

About PORL

PORL is a full-service survey research facility that provides tailored research to fulfill each client’s individual needs from political, economic, social, and cultural projects. PORL opened in 2001 and is an independent, non-partisan center, a charter member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative, and a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organization. As members of AAPOR, PORL’s goal is to support sound and ethical practices in the conduct of survey and public opinion research. This research was fully self-sponsored, and PORL received no funding or compensation from any outside entity. For more information, visit unf.edu/coas/porl or contact Dr. Sean Freeder at porl@unf.edu or (904) 620-2784.

About the University of North Florida

The University of North Florida is a nationally ranked university located on a beautiful 1,381-acre campus in Jacksonville surrounded by nature. Serving more than 17,600 students, UNF features six colleges of distinction with innovative programs in high-demand fields. UNF students receive individualized attention from faculty and gain valuable real-world experience engaging with community partners. A top public university, UNF prepares students to make a difference in Florida and around the globe. Learn more at www.unf.edu.