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Interest in Sports and Sports Betting

Author

Listed:
  • Jaume Garcia
  • Levi Pérez
  • María José Suárez

Abstract

There has been a worldwide growth in sports betting activity, in part due to the widespread use of the Internet. The objective of this research is to make a joint analysis of the probabilities of offline and online sports gambling participation, focusing on their association with sport-related variables. To this aim, we estimate a bivariate probit model of online and offline sports betting using the 2022 Spanish Survey of Sporting Habits, a cross-sectional database representative of the Spanish population (sample size: 10,267 observations). In general, interest in sports and sports practice are correlated with sports betting. Moreover, people who play sports and, in particular, those who play football, have a higher probability of betting offline. In the case of online betting, all sport-related variables are statistically significant but sports participation. Another noteworthy result is the positive correlation in the random terms of the probabilities of offline and online sports betting.

Suggested Citation

  • Jaume Garcia & Levi Pérez & María José Suárez, 2025. "Interest in Sports and Sports Betting," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 26(3), pages 336-352, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:26:y:2025:i:3:p:336-352
    DOI: 10.1177/15270025241308846
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Steven Salaga & Brian M Mills & Katie M Brown, 2026. "The Relevance of Betting Market Outcome Uncertainty: Decided Wagers and Television Viewership Loss," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 27(2), pages 214-232, February.

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