Top 5 Most-Watched Sports in America That You Can Bet On
Sports viewership statistics in the US reveal that about 65.5 million people watched digital live sports at least once per month in 2022. This had increased from 57.5 million viewers in 2021, and the viewership is expected to hit 74 million in 2023.
Read on to learn about which sports made it to the list of the most-watched sports in America.
Table of Contents
- Sports Betting in America: A Popular Pass-Time
- Top Most-Watched Sports in America to Bet On
- How to Bet on American Sports With Bitcoin
Sports Betting in America: A Popular Pass-Time
Sports form an essential part of American culture. Historically, baseball was the region’s national sport. However, over the recent decades, other sports have grown in popularity, along with the sports betting culture.
As early as the 19th century, sports betting was already a popular pass-time among Americans and still is. Traditional sports betting started after the establishment of professional baseball, but horse racing was also on the early sports betting scene.
For a long time, the US had a cumbersome sports betting regulatory environment that created a monopoly in gambling. Of all the 50 US states, Nevada was the only state providing sports betting opportunities of any kind until the 2018 Supreme Court ruling. Since then, states can create gambling rules, and 36 states have legalized sports betting.
Regardless, gambling is still a multi-billion dollar industry that commands a high presence in America. Research shows that one in five Americans, or 19% of American adults, placed a bet on sports in the last year. A recent Forbes report also revealed that America’s gambling revenues hit a record $54.93 billion in 2022. Notably, revenues for sports betting alone had clocked $3.04 billion by June last year.
As the statistics show, sports and sports betting are popular things in America. Below, we feature the top seven most-watched sports in the country. All of which you can bet on using 1xBit.
Most-Watched Sports in America to Bet on
Here are the most-watched sports in America that you can also bet on.
Basketball
Basketball is a two-team sport played by a total of ten players, five players per team, on a rectangular court. The goal of the game is to shoot the basketball through the other team’s hoop or the basket to score points.
Basketball is a fan-favorite sport, and basketball tournaments and leagues attract some of the highest viewerships. The 1998 NBA finals between Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz remain the most watched sports leagues on TV, with a viewership of 35.89 million. The US viewership for the 2022 NBA finals hit 12.4 million viewers, 22% up from the previous year.
American Football
American football is a team sport that involves players running toward the opposing team’s side for a touchdown or kicking to score points. The two teams of 11 players compete on a rectangular field with goalposts on either end to score more points using the oval-shaped ball.
It’s one of the most watched sports in America, represented by the NFL, the sport’s professional league. According to NFL’s communications, the 2021 NFL regular season was the most watched, with 17.1 million viewers for both TV and digital streaming.
Baseball
Baseball is a two-team sport in which nine players from each team take turns in a batting and fielding event. It’s a bat and ball game that begins when one team, the fielding team, throws the ball so that the batting team tries to hit the ball with a bat. The aim is for the batting team to hit the ball into the field and away from the opponent’s players so that its players run counter-clockwise around the bases and score the runs.
It’s a popular pastime activity in the US and has the oldest major professional sports league, the MLB. According to the MLB, the baseball World Series has always stood out on primetime TV and hit 11.78 million viewers on average on FOX alone.
Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport in which two people fight in a boxing ring. Majorly, the players throw fists at each other for a timed duration, but they can still use other striking methods like elbow strikes, kicks, knee strikes, or headbutts.
It’s among the top-watched sports in America and an exciting betting opportunity as fans wager on their favorite boxer. Boxing matches also attract a vast viewership. According to a survey conducted on 2000 American adults, 33% agreed they are fans of the sport. One of the biggest boxing matches was the 2015 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao still has the highest pay-per-view, with 4.6 million buys.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is a winter team sport played on an ice rink with lines and markings unique to the sport. In the game, players on ice skates use ice hockey sticks to advance, control, and shoot the hockey puck into the opponent’s goal.
According to the sport’s viewership statistics, the average viewership for ice hockey games in the US was 4.59 million viewers per match.
How to Bet on Top Sports with Bitcoin
The American sports scene paves the way for a multi-billion dollar sports betting industry. Today, sports fans can enjoy their favorite matches and accessorize their experience with a bet.
For those who love to try a hand at sports betting with bitcoin, here is how you can wager on any of the top sports using bitcoin on 1xBit.
1. First, register for your account on 1xBit by visiting the site and clicking on ‘Registration.’
2. Once your account is set up, log in and deposit bitcoin into your 1xBit Bitcoin wallet by clicking on ‘Deposit.’
3. Tap on Bitcoin from the window that appears with a list of crypto coins.
4. Copy the wallet address or scan the QR code to deposit the amount of Bitcoin you want.
5. Go back to the homepage and click on ‘Sports.’ A vertical list of the sports available for betting on 1xBit will appear. You can choose the sport you want to bet on and click on it to view the market. Once you’re satisfied with the available games and odds, pick your choices, and they will be added to your bet slip automatically. From there, enter the amount you want to stake and place your bet.
Try 1xBit today for hassle-free bitcoin betting on any sport that you'd like.