Sports Betting Marketing: Best Target Audience & Ad Strategy

How much are U.S. consumers spending on sports betting? In 2025, the betting amounted to $166B. AudienceSCAN reports that nearly 23% of U.S. adults are online sports bettors. Here’s how your accounts can reach these consumers through audience targeting, advertising and marketing.

What is sports betting marketing?

Sports betting is now legal in 38 states. In addition, this activity is also legal in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Sports betting companies can market to consumers in these states. Part of the marketing initiative will be branding campaigns. And sports betting companies also educate their target audience about what to expect in their wagering experience.

These companies use promotions and advertisements to reach consumers who may be inclined to bet on their favorite teams or players. The marketing content may explain the availability of both online and in-person betting options. To build their clientele, sports betting companies may also post content to explain how the process works, and they may offer risk-free bets to encourage new players to start wagering.

Sports betting advertising

Sports betting advertising is a complex process that requires focusing on the potential customers, the event being sold and the media format that will deliver top results. These campaigns are designed to move prospects further down the purchase funnel. To entice consumers to spend more, sports betting ad campaigns may be performance-based or based on promotional tools for sportsbook operators.

Some analysts measure cost of acquisition to range from $250 to $750 per player. To better target high-value prospects, these businesses are focusing on more than age. Other prospect characteristics include income, employment and motivations for gambling when these businesses decide where to advertise. For example, individuals who wager for the thrill or to earn money will bet more often than casual players.

Sports betting advertising statistics 

To grow market share, U.S. sports betting companies have invested heavily in advertising. They shelled out $3.9B for advertising in 2025. The ad spending is dominated by industry leaders: DraftKings and FanDuel.

Best media formats for sports betting ads

Sports betting companies use a range of media formats to reach current and future clients. AudienceSCAN shows that 62% of online sporting event bettors have taken action within 30 days after seeing a streaming TV ad. Compared to other U.S. adults, these consumers overindex for responding to radio and podcast ads. This audience particularly enjoys the comedy and sports talk formats.

While TV and radio ads can deliver results, these businesses can benefit from advertising in other media formats.

Social media marketing

Sports betting companies engage in social media marketing to achieve multiple goals. Analysts report they can shape “the behavior of betting markets.” Posts about what’s happening with a specific player or team can tap into “herd mentality.”

Keep in mind that casual players may check out social media to find advice. And platforms like X can provide current information about who’s ahead in an athletic contest. Your accounts can use this information to build interest and excitement by adding their own content.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is increasingly popular in the sports betting market. Many sports betting companies partner with influencers with a solid following among bettors. You'll find that younger generations trust advice from social media personalities they admire. It's almost like getting a thumbs-up from a close friend.

An online betting company marketing agency will often recommend partnering with influencers involved in sports, esports betting, and even horse racing. Follower loyalty surges when influencers hit the sweet spot — credible advice, engaging content, and a genuine pulse on what drives the gaming community. Betting online or on mobile just got a whole lot more appealing, thanks to marketing that effectively ropes in new customers while maintaining credibility with existing ones.

Through influencer marketing, brands can forge genuine, long-term connections with the people who matter most — those who make the bets. Partnering with gaming influencers regularly allows betting companies to remain a constant fixture in the gaming world, firmly etching their brand in the minds of gamers. Influencers pump up the excitement with lively content — think live-streamed bets, behind-the-scenes peeks, or juicy insider tips that magnify the thrill of betting.

As part of their social media activity, sports betting companies spend around $520M in ads for celebrity influencers.

Paid Marketing

Television advertising by sports betting operators amounted to $1.42B last year. These businesses also spent $980 million on digital performance campaigns. 

A significant percentage of online sportsbook marketing goes to paid search. In terms of spending money on paid search, operators improve results when they time campaigns with “match days” or other significant seasonal events.

What drives the sports betting industry forward? Paid marketing, which is constantly adapting to new trends and approaches. These days, getting your brand out there means allocating serious cash to digital platforms for paid ads as savvy companies realize the vast reach and influence of online marketing.

The aim is to reach the sports betting target market more effectively. Savvy consumers with disposable income are the ones these campaigns aim to impress, waving eye-catching promotions and exclusives in their faces. Paid advertising enables betting companies to maintain a steady flow of potential customers.

One of the most significant advantages of working with a sports betting marketing agency is gaining access to advanced business intelligence tools and market intelligence tools. Paid advertising can be a profit vacuum if you're not careful. But with the proper set of tools, you can target your best prospects and rake in a higher return on investment (ROI).

Referral programs

Referral programs have been highly influential in the sports betting industry. Many companies offer incentives for customers who bring in their friends. This strategy leverages word-of-mouth marketing to tap into an audience that traditional advertising campaigns may not have reached. The benefits are twofold for sports betting businesses that take this route: a loyal customer base develops, and the costs of attracting new customers shrink significantly.

Team up with an online betting marketing agency to calibrate your referral programs and hit your target audience bullseye. Boosting your referral program during high-stakes events like football championships or major horse races can greatly increase your user base. Betting companies looking to scale up revenue growth can benefit from expert guidance on program structure courtesy of a seasoned marketing agency with industry expertise.

In-Venue marketing

While online marketing has exploded, in-venue marketing remains a crucial part of sports betting marketing services. Sportsbooks in casinos, racetracks and other physical venues need to engage with bettors in real time. Venues can turbocharge in-house engagement by sending personalized promotions or insightful betting tips straight to patrons' mobile devices while they're on site.

Setting up kiosks at a stadium can convert customers. Sports betting companies can also use place-based ads in locations, such as a sports bar, where their target audience may be watching an event. 

Email marketing

Sports betting operators know they can count on email marketing to bring results, and the numbers back it up. When businesses get smart about customer data and start organizing their crowd into smaller, like-minded groups, they can strategically email highly personalized messages — think 'Don't miss this game!' or 'Get ready for a jackpot of a deal!' Driving user interest and pumping up online traffic isn't just nice to have. The payoff is being able to see the impact right away.

Companies can work with an online betting marketing agency to design effective email campaigns that cater to specific interests. For example, sending updates on football games or esports betting events ensures the content is relevant and timely. What really drives results for sports betting businesses is being able to pinpoint what's working and what's not in their marketing strategy and then making the necessary tweaks.

Upgrade Your Sportsbook SEO Strategy

If you’re in the sportsbook business, SEO can’t be ignored. A sharp SEO strategy is a beacon of search engine optimization, guiding the engines straight to your website and landing you a top spot in their results. One effective way to pump up traffic to your sportsbook is to put this strategy into action. Visibility is the prize in a betting market where companies aggressively jostle for position.

An online betting marketing agency can assist with keyword research, content creation, and backlink strategies to improve your online presence. Sports betting marketing strategies that incorporate SEO will see increased user penetration and revenue.

Rather than being stuck in the shadows, forward-thinking sports betting businesses harness the insight-generating capabilities of business intelligence, market intelligence, and SEO to zero in on untapped opportunities and grow their customer base.

Sports betting marketing strategies that convert

Research indicates that 60% of sports bettors “wager on football.” The NBA and MLB also attract a sizeable part of the betting market. As operators invest in advertising, they must be present in the channels noticed by their target audience. And to attract notice, their advertising content must be highly creative.

Online sports betting demographics

To get the most from their advertising investment, sports betting audience targeting is a must. AudienceSCAN data contains a complete profile for Online Sports Bettors. The demographics of sports bettors show they are predominantly male (64%). 53% of this audience is aged 25 to 44. Over 30% of these individuals identify as NFL or NBA fans.

In terms of motivators, nearly 29% want to purchase services and items that make them feel successful. 22% are driven to purchase by the need to feel intelligent. Your clients should tap into these emotions in the creative aspect of their campaigns.

The future of the sports betting industry

As industry growth slows, these companies will be looking for ways to connect with new clients and grow revenue. They may invest in a sports betting audience acquisition platform. These platforms offer a range of services, including real-time sports data. They may also reach out to a dedicated sports betting marketing agency for assistance.  Be sure to pitch your services to them and be prepared to demonstrate your prior successes, if any, in the industry.

Key Takeaways For Sports Betting Marketing in 2026

New competition from prediction markets may negatively impact the future of the sports betting industry going forward. 

A strong data-driven marketing strategy, backed by business and market intelligence tools, will allow operators to pinpoint the ideal sports betting target market. You can help your accounts optimize their outcomes by using AudienceSCAN from AdMall to target the right consumers with effective media formats. In addition, the advanced SEO and PPC tool in AdMall will allow you to highlight how well their advertising performs compared to the competition.

Image by William Fortunato on Pexels.