US Sports Books' Practice of Banning or Severely Limiting Winning Sports Bettors Up Over 400% In Last 24 Months: SURVEY

In a recent survey conducted by ProfessionalGambler.org of 233 serious-minded sports bettors, findings indicate the controversial practice by sports books of banning or severely limiting winning sports bettors is on the rise.  ​​​

While the majority of respondents reported no previous experience being banned or severely limited, 19.31% of respondents reported they have been banned or severely limited -- even recently.

A total of 45 respondents – all of whom have been betting on sports since at least 2015 -- described a total of 52 banning/severely-limiting events since 2015. However, 42 of these events occurred within the last 24 months. Only ten events occurred from 2015 until 2020. This indicates over a 400% increase in this practice.

We originally sent survey questionnaires to 450 sports bettors on our mailing list who have actively been betting on sports since at least 2015.  We asked them to describe any banning or severely-limiting event since 2015, noting the year of each occurrence and the sports book. 233 people responded. 188 (80.69%) reported no experience with  being banned or severely limited. Ten reported multiple bannings/severely- limiting events which would not indicate an increase in recent years. 35 reported bannings/severely-limiting events occurring for the first time in 2020 and 2021, with the vast majority in 2021. ​