The number of people who bet on sports can vary greatly depending on the region, the popularity of sports betting, the legal status of sports betting, and the time of year (such as whether it coincides with major sporting events). As of my last update, it’s estimated that millions of people worldwide participate in sports betting.
In the United States, for example, the American Gaming Association (AGA) has reported that the number of Americans who have bet on sports in the past year has been in the tens of millions. This number has been increasing, especially after the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018, making sports betting legal at the federal level and allowing individual states to regulate sports betting.
Globally, the market is even larger, with countries like the United Kingdom having a long-standing tradition of sports betting. Asia is also a significant region for sports betting, with countries like China, Japan, and South Korea having large numbers of bettors.
However, these figures are constantly changing, and for the most current and specific data, one would need to refer to recent surveys, reports from gambling regulatory bodies, or market research studies. It’s important to note that these numbers can be affected by the prevalence of both legal and illegal sports betting markets.