Just How Popular are Offshore Sportsbooks?
Scott Morris | December 27, 2024
Offshore sportsbooks have been around for 40 years and available online for just about 30 years. Before the striking down of PAPSA, offshore sportsbooks were the only alternative to flying to Las Vegas to place your sports bets. Millions of people from around the world placed their sports bets by logging in online or calling a phone number.
With the establishment of on-shore licensed & regulated sportsbooks like BetMGM, Hard Rock and Fanduel, interest in the activity has spiked dramatically. In fact, some industry pundits speculated that these new waves of sportsbooks would put the offshore industry out of business. That has not been the case, however. Still, the disparity in reported numbers of players is pretty huge.
In this article we want to take a look at some of the reported numbers in regards to the number of active sports bettors at various sportsbooks, both offshore and on.
Offshore Sportsbooks
| Sportsbook | # of active players |
|---|---|
| Bovada.lv | 77,000 |
| BetOnline.ag | 43,000 |
| BetCRIS | 20,000 |
| Heritage | 13,000 |
| BetAnySports | 9,000 |
| Everygame | 6,500 |
There are many thousands of people placing their wagers offshore. The sportsbooks offer some advantages that otherwise cannot be found. Among these advantages are the ability to use cryptocurrency and stay relatively anonymous.
Regulated Online Sportsbooks
| Sportsbook | # of Active Players |
|---|---|
| Fanduel | 3,000,000 |
| Draftkings | 2,700,000 |
| ESPN Bet | 700,000 |
As you can see, the licensed onshore sportsbook market is much larger than the offshore market. However, the offshore industry is still very popular with players. Some use them as their main betting option while others use the as an “out”.
