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NFL Best Bet: Football Wagering Will Surge in 2025

Originally posted on Action Network | By Dave Grendzynski | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 7:58 AM ET

If you’re looking for an NFL best bet this season, here’s one for you.

The league keeps getting more popular every year, and this year might be the biggest ever.

Why? The NFL season is always a thrilling time for sports fans, but for the sports betting industry, it’s an absolute jackpot.

The American Gaming Association agrees. Its researchers expect the legal sports betting in the United States will expand by 8.5%, reaching an impressive $30 billion this NFL season.

Despite expanding opportunities for legal sports betting, companies like DraftKings are finding it more affordable to acquire new customers. Even amid uncertainties such as fluctuating consumer sentiment and discretionary spending, the sports betting industry remains robust.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins has expressed unprecedented enthusiasm for the new season. In an interview with CNBC, he highlighted its significance as a pivotal season for customer acquisition and overall growth. According to Robins, the numbers are looking better than ever, with record-breaking figures anticipated throughout the season.

This revelation comes as DraftKings makes a big push towards responsible gambling. The NFL is also making strides in this area. And casinos are spreading the excitement of the NFL with numerous games to play on the floor.

We also recently celebrated National Football Day in the United States.

Beating Expectations: DraftKings and BetMGM Shine

When DraftKings reported its second-quarter results in August, Wall Street was pleasantly surprised.

The company’s revenue and profit exceeded expectations, demonstrating substantial growth. BetMGM is another key player riding this wave of momentum, having adjusted its earnings guidance upwards twice this year. CEO Adam Greenblatt shared that BetMGM recently experienced its best week in terms of revenue, with a 30% increase in preseason volume.

BetMGM, which is owned by MGM Resorts and Entain, is doing really well. The company has raised its profit expectations twice this year due to its strong performance. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Greenblatt is particularly optimistic about the cross-selling potentials that accompany the NFL kickoff. A notable 60% of sports bettors are likely to engage with online casino games and iGaming, which tend to offer higher profit margins than traditional sports betting. This cross-pollination could significantly bolster business in both domains.

Exploring New Frontiers with Prediction Markets

An intriguing development in the industry is the potential opportunity and competition posed by event contracts in prediction markets.

Prediction markets in NFL football are online platforms where people trade shares based on what they think will happen in football games.

It’s kind of like a stock market, but instead of stocks, you’re buying and selling chances of game outcomes, player performances, or season achievements. The price of each share reflects what everyone thinks about the likelihood of an event occurring. If you make a correct prediction, you earn the full value of the share. If you’re wrong, you don’t get anything.

DraftKings, for instance, has shown interest in entering this new space cautiously. While there have been talks about acquiring Railbird, a CFTC-approved exchange, DraftKings remains cautious due to varying state regulations.

BetMGM Not All The Way On Board

Not everyone in the industry is excited about prediction markets.

MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle expressed reservations, noting that it could invite federal oversight into a space that states have historically regulated. This sentiment is echoed by federal courts deliberating whether sports predictions count as a form of sports betting, which could have broader implications for state and tribal rights.

NFL Best Bet Is On a Season of Growth

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said the company is seeing record numbers heading into the kickoff to the NFL — sports betting’s biggest season. Image Credit: Shutterstock

As the NFL season kicks off, both DraftKings and its competitors are gearing up for a season of unprecedented growth and opportunity.

At the same time, the push into new frontiers such as prediction markets is tinged with caution due to regulatory complexities. All eyes are now on this dynamic and fast-evolving industry, which remains as unpredictable as the games themselves.

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