There’s a tendency to view sports bettors as a single group, but the reality is gamblers come in all shapes and sizes. A recent report issued by BetGenius, a sports data and software company, shows how much variety there is in the burgeoning legal US sports betting space.

The report is titled, Unmissable: The return of US sport: How to maximize your on-property sportsbook margins, and highlights retail betting trends in different states and across different sports and bet types.

To gather the data for the report, BetGenius, “analyzed $50m worth of wagers bet on-property with our US partners since the start of 2019.”

This information provides a fascinating look at sports betting trends, including who, what, when, where, how, and why people bet.

Here’s what the data says.

Average Wagers Vary by Region

One of the first data points that stood out was the average wager by state. BetGenius provided average stake size for seven states with retail sports betting:

• Arkansas – $25
• Mississippi – $34
• Iowa – $39
• Oregon – $43
• West Virginia – $70
• Pennsylvania – $96
• New York – $129

Right away, it’s clear that the average amount wagered varies by region.

One reason would be disposable income. Another might be the betting culture. But as BetGenius notes, the type of wagers preferred in different areas also comes into play.

“In Arkansas, parlays account for more statewide handle than any other state, which goes some way to explaining the low average stake size,” the report states. “Mississippi has the second lowest stake size and ranks second for parlays.”

League-Specific Sports Betting Trends and Bets

The next section looks at the betting differences among the various major sports leagues, including the average wager pregame and the average in-game wager – according to BetGenius, in-play bets are generally twice the size of those placed pregame.

Bettors Place Larger Wagers On NFL Games

Average wager:

• Pregame $45
• In-Game $86

The NFL has the highest average wager for pregame and in-game bets, but it appears NFL bettors are too busy watching the game to make use of in-game wagering. A lot of money is wagered pregame, and a further 42% of in-game wagers are placed on second-half markets, with those wagers chiefly occurring at half-time.

In-Game Represents A Big Part Of NBA Betting

Average wager:

• Pregame $21
• In-Game $73

NBA bettors bet less than half as much as NFL bettors pregame, but in-game wagers jump nearly 3.5x. By comparison, NFL in-play bets are less than 2x the average pregame wager amount.

Not surprisingly, BetGenius concludes, the “NBA has the greatest live betting appeal of all the US leagues.” That holds truer where online sports betting exists, with in-game NBA handle accounting for 25% of all wagers, according to the report.

The NBA also dethrones the NFL in specific markets. According to BetGenius, in Iowa, Arkansas, and West Virginia, the NBA generates more handle than any other sports league.

MLB Bettors Like To Bet Parlays

Average wager:

• Pregame $22
• In-Game $64

The average pregame wager may only be $22, but as BetGenius notes, “approximately 92% of MLB retail handle is bet before play starts.”

Additionally, the report indicates that 81% of MLB handle bet on the money line, run line, and run total markets.

NHL Bettors Like To Bet Parlays Too

Average wager:

• Pregame $10
• In-Game $43

Whether its pregame or in-game, the NHL has, by far, the smallest average wager.

That said, a lot of those wagers are parlays, which represent a staggering 61% of on-property handle.

And similar to MLB, 83% of NHL handle is bet on the money line, puck line, and total goals markets.