Optimove Survey: 84% of NFL Bettors Placed Live Wagers Last Season

A new Optimove Insights report found that 84% of surveyed bettors made live bets at some point during National Football League (NFL) games last season. The NFL opens the 2026-27 season Wednesday night with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. (Image: Shutterstock) Optimove, the iGaming marketing technology company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, released its 2026/27 NFL Betting Intentions Report on Sept. 3, after surveying 926 U.S. adults, conducted in August. The survey covers how bettors plan to wager, spend, and engage with sportsbooks this year. The season starts Wednesday night (Sept. 9) at Lumen Field in Seattle with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and New England Patriots. Season Kicks Off Wednesday Night Main takeaways from the report: Pre-game wagering is NFL bettors’ first preference heading into the 2026-27 season, named by 41%, followed by live betting during the game at 34%. Among the respondents, 41% said they bet on NFL games regularly and 60% have already placed a bet on the upcoming season, such as a preseason game or Super Bowl futures bet. Team loyalty and player performance are top motivators, rooted in emotional attachment rather than analysis. The strongest betting drivers for this upcoming season are individual football player performance (45%), followed by team loyalty (43%) and adding excitement to watching (43%). Emotion Drives Betting Decisions Seventy-eight percent said they would certainly or very likely keep betting after their team is eliminated from contention. “Intentions collected in August describe a starting position, not a season,” said Pini Yakuel, chief executive officer (CEO) of Optimove. “By week eleven, a bettor’s team may be eliminated from contention; they may be making live bets, and their weekly budget may already be spent. The sportsbook still needs the real-time insights to know which of those is true.” Point spread (59%) and moneylines (57%) are the leading planned wager types, followed by over/unders (43%) and parlays (29%). Spreads and Moneylines Lead Budgets are popular, according to the survey results – 81% of bettors set a budget for the season, with weekly budgeting most common at 41%, ahead of a season budget (24%). Sixteen percent said they put a cap on total spend, while 17% reported they had no specific budget. According to the survey, 33% expect to spend around US$250 for the season, while 31% expect US$500 or more, and 26% expect around $100. On individual wagers, 33% plan to bet US$11-$50, 29% plan to bet US$201-$500, 19% plan to bet US$51-$200, and 10% plan to bet US$501 or more. Most Bettors Set Budgets Sixty-four percent of bettors expect to use two or more sportsbooks to bet on the NFL this season, and 16% will use three or more. Ease of use is the leading factor in choosing a particular operator, at 59%, ahead of easy payouts (43%), promotions (31%), and personalization (28%). Forty-seven percent said difficulty using the app or site was the main reason to abandon a sportsbook, with 36% pointing to too many or irrelevant marketing messages. The post Optimove Survey: 84% of NFL Bettors Placed Live Wagers Last Season appeared first on Casino.org.