Fantasy Sports Engagement Reaches 6.2% of U.S. Adult Population

A report from Nielsen Scarborough reveals that fantasy sports participation has increased from 8.3 million in 2012 to 15.6 million in 2017, showing that 6.2% of the general population in the U.S. played a form of fantasy sports. This increase in engagement can be attributed to the large number of websites and apps that feature live player stats and game progression updates.

NFL fans contributed to the increased engagement in fantasy sports from 7.4 million in 2012 to 12.5 million in 2017. In the U.S., the top television markets with the highest fantasy sports engagement on websites and apps are Denver, Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, El Paso and New Orleans.

Additional findings include:

• 42% of NFL fans who play fantasy football are young adult males between the ages of 18 and 34.
• NFL fantasy sports players are 47% more likely than the general population to do post-graduate work or earn a master’s degree.
• Fantasy football players are 67% more likely to have a household income of $250,000.
• NFL fans who play fantasy sports are 195% more likely to have visited a sports bar in the past 30 days.
• 57% of fantasy sports players are more likely to belong to a health club or gym.

For additional findings, click here.