Everyone worth their weight in gambling gold knows that the NFL is the premier sport to bet on in the United States and with the season in full swing, you can bet sportsbooks are licking their chops at all the action.

After a long stretch, sports fans and sportsbooks look forward to the excess of sports to bet on in the fall. Football starts on two fronts, players trickle in to NHL and NBA training camps, and the MLB winds its way to the World Series. But everybody will agree that the NFL is the sport that captures the imagination of fans, both bettor and non-bettor alike.

“With NFL action increasing year [after] year, it’s difficult to predict the total action we will see over the entire season, but, of all spectator sports, the NFL is the bettor’s favorite sport,” said Bodog bookmakers.

For Pinnacle Sports, football is big business in more ways than one.

“NFL season and the start of the domestic soccer leagues in Europe is the busiest time of year for sportsbooks,” said sports book manager Simon Noble.

“The NFL is also becoming increasingly popular in other countries around the world where we see a lot of interest from Europe and Asia in particular.”

Though pigskin betting is a cash cow, some online gaming companies rely on both sportsbooks and casinos for revenue and with the NFL season’s kicking off; one has to wonder if the handle for the casinos is affected in anyway. Do the same people who frequent online casinos also wager at the sportsbook?

In certain instances yes, said Bodog oddsmakers. “Poker and Casino action are steadily increasing throughout the year, but we do see spikes on NFL Sundays as bettors venture for a few hands of blackjack or poker.”

Pinnacle Casinos also saw a co-relation to sporting seasons and casino action.

“Casino action is fairly consistent throughout the year but does mirror the interest in our sportsbook somewhat based on the sporting calendar,” said Noble.

“The more sports bettors in the sportsbook, the greater the number of casino players in our casino.”

Page 1, 2