The Major League Teams Americans Bet On The Most

The sports gambling business — legal and illegal — is worth several hundred billion dollars worldwide. Of that, only $2.6 billion is wagered legitimately in the U.S. through the sports desks at Las Vegas casinos. According to 24/7 Wall St. research, most of the bets are placed on just 22 of the 122 teams in the four major leagues.

The NFL seems to be the gamblers’ favorite, with 65% of the total $2.6 billion bet on football teams, according to data gathered by 24/7 Wall St. as well as interviews conducted with people in the sports gambling industry. Most of the balance goes to wagers on college football and teams in the MLB, NHL, and NBA.

Read: The Five NFL Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six NBA Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six MLB Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Five NHL Teams Americans Bet On The Most 

The amount and number of these bets is a closely kept secret. Even the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, which regulates betting in the state, has only partial figures on major league sports gambling. 24/7 Wall St interviewed regulators, casino sports desk management, and people in the online bookmaking and Internet gambling businesses to find out which professional teams drew the most gambling action in the last full season of the four major leagues. Jay Rood, VP of Race and Sports at the MGM Resorts Intl, was a particularly helpful source.

Football betting action is bigger than the three other sports combined for several reasons. First, many of the league’s games are nationally televised. Second, the Super Bowl is broadcast around the world and was seen by 109 million U.S. viewers last year. The event draws nearly $100 million in legal bets through Las Vegas alone. Football is also a larger sport financially than the others based on ticket prices and television contracts. Finally, a number of teams, such as the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots, have significant national fan bases.

The four major leagues have 122 teams among them. Sporting desk managers define gambling action based on the total volume of bets made for or against any given team. They do not track illegal sports gambling and there are no reasonable estimates of illegal betting amounts. 24/7 was able to compile a list of the major league teams Americans bet on most: five NFL teams, five NBA teams, six NHL teams and six MLB teams.

24/7 Wall St. also wanted to see if there is a correlation between the level of betting on a team and any other statistics about the organization. Betting action was most correlated with team valuations, which came from Forbes, win-loss records, and attendance trends, which came from the leagues and each of the teams. The teams that draw the most gambling are, in almost all cases, organizations that have high revenue within their sports, teams with decade-long track records of winning, and, in some cases, several years of improvements in attendance.

Most of the teams that have highest betting activity are iconic organizations. The New York Yankees are at the top of the baseball list. The Los Angeles Lakers, and the Minneapolis Lakers, have the most impressive championship record in the NBA. Tradition and excellence, it seems, even extend to the interests of gamblers.

The NFL

5. Oakland Raiders
> Team value: #31
> Attendance 2010: 371,448 (the lowest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: -21.32% (3rd biggest decline)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 58-102-0 (2nd worst)

Oakland is among the most storied franchises in the NFL. For nearly its entire history, the team had been either coached or owned and managed by Al Davis, who recently passed away. John Madden also coached the team for a decade. The team is the only NFL franchise to play in Super Bowls in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. More recently, the team has fallen on hard times, posting the second-worst record in the NFL between 2000 and 2010, behind only the Detroit Lions. The team has not had a season above .500 since 2002. Nevertheless, because of its history, it remains one of the most popular teams to bet on in football.

4. Green Bay Packers
> Team value: #9
> Attendance 2010: 566,362 (9th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +18.38% (5th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 96-64-0 (5th best)

The Green Bay Packers play in a smaller market than most NFL teams, but the team is one of the most popular sports franchises in history. Legendary coach Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with the team, and the Pack has played in three more since, winning two, including last year’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Future Hall of Famer Brett Favre was quarterback and leader of the team for 17 years. When he left in 2008 many thought some of the wind would be taken out of the team’s sails. Instead, after one shaky year, QB Aaron Rodgers has led the team to consecutive highly successful seasons, and the team is currently the only undefeated franchise left in the NFL. Between 2000 and 2010, Green Bay had the fifth best record in the NFL.

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3. Pittsburgh Steelers
> Team value: #13
> Attendance 2010: 504,669 (12th lowest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +1.1% (15th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 106-53-1 (3rd best)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won six Super Bowls — the most in the NFL. They have competed in eight, just one less than Dallas. Pittsburgh won four of those in the six-year period in the 1970s under Terry Bradshaw, and has been highly successful in the past decade, winning two more under Ben Roethlisberger in 2005 and 2008. The team had the third best record over the last ten full seasons, winning roughly two games for every one it has lost.

2. Dallas Cowboys
> Team value: #1
> Attendance 2010: 696,377 (the highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +37.76% (the biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 83-77-0 (14th best)

Since the late 1970s, the Dallas Cowboys have been known as America’s Team. Dallas won two Super Bowls in the 70s and three in the 1990s under Hall of Famer QB Troy Aikman. The team had a poor season last year, going 6 and 10. Nevertheless, it has managed to be the subject of more bets than all but one other NFL team.

1. New England Patriots
> Team value: #3
> Attendance 2010: 550,048 (13th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +14.04% (6th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 121-39-0 (the best)

The New England Patriots joined the league in 1970, and while they have not had the historical success of teams like Green Bay, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, they are now one of the NFL’s most dominant teams. Under star quarterback Tom Brady, the team won three Super Bowls in four years between 2001 and 2004, and lost one in 2007 to the New York Giants after a perfect season and playoffs, going 18-1. The team had the best record in football last year, and recorded the best winning percentage over the last decade, losing just 39 times in 160 games.

Read: The Six NBA Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six MLB Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Five NHL Teams Americans Bet On The Most

NBA

6. San Antonio Spurs
> Team value: #9
> Attendance 2010: 750,879 (12th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: -17.77% (4th biggest decrease)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 579-241 (the best)

While the LA Lakers are easily the most successful of the decade when it comes to NBA championships, it is the San Antonio spurs that have been more consistently solid. Between 2001 and 2010, the Spurs had the best winning percentage in basketball. Unlike the Lakers, who missed the playoffs in the 2004-2005 season, the Spurs did not miss the playoffs once during that period. The last time the Spurs ended a season with more losses than wins was in 1997.

5. Dallas Mavericks
> Team value: #6
> Attendance 2010: 824,162 (4th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +21.18% (7th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 575-245 (2nd best)

The Dallas Mavericks have only been around since 1980 and so lack the storied history of the Bulls, Celtics, and Lakers. However, since the 2000-2001 season, Dallas has not missed the playoffs once. Last season, the team beat the popular Miami Heat to win its first ever NBA championship. Between 2001 and 2011, the Mavericks had the second-best record in the NBA with 575 wins and 245 losses.

4. Chicago Bulls
> Team value: #3
> Attendance 2010: 893,462 (the highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +0.54%(18th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 395-425 (13th worst)

The Chicago Bulls were founded in 1966. The team reached its high point after Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, joined it in 1984. Jordan led the Bulls to their first NBA Championship win in 1991 over the Los Angeles Lakers. The team went on to win the championship in ‘92, ‘93, ‘96, ‘97, and ‘98. In the 2010-2011 season, the Bulls won their division title, but then lost to the Miami Heat in the playoffs. The team had the highest attendance in basketball that year.

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3. Miami Heat
> Team value: #7
> Attendance 2010: 810,930 (5th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +19.75 (8th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 404-416 (14th best)

The greater Miami area, which includes Fort Lauderdale, did not have an NBA team until 1988, when the Heat were formed. The team has been a regular playoff contender since the mid 1990s and won a 2006 championship over the Dallas Mavericks. In 2010, in one of the most publicized deals in NBA history, the Heat signed Lebron James, widely considered one of the best basketball players today. Combined with star Dwayne Wade, the two players formed an exciting duo that led the team to the NBA finals last year, where they lost to Mavericks.

2. Boston Celtics
> Team value: #4
> Attendance 2010: 763,584 (11th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +21.36% (5th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 473-347 (6th best)

No team has won more NBA championships than the Boston Celtics’ 17 since starting as one of the original members of the NBA in the late 1940s. In the 13-year period stretching between 1957 and 1969, the Celtics, led by Bill Russell, made then NBA finals an astounding 12 times. Of those, the team won 11 times, including eight in a row. Arguably no team in professional sports has experienced such a dynasty before or since. But after winning in the 1985-86 season, the team failed to win a championship for more than two decades. During the 2007-2008 season, however, the team beat the Lakers in the finals. In the past four seasons, the Celtics finished first in the Atlantic Division, and had the sixth best record in basketball between 2001 and 2011.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
> Team value: #2
> Attendance 2010: 778,877 (8th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +0.33% (19th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 515-305 (3rd best)

Originally the Minneapolis Lakers, the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and has only missed the playoffs a handful of times since. Some of the most famous names in the history of the sport played for the Lakers, including Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Kobe Bryant. The team has won the second most NBA championships (behind the Celtics), 11 times as the Los Angeles Lakers (and four times as Minneapolis). In the past 11 seasons, the Lakers have failed to make the NBA finals only five times, and only failed to win it twice. The team is currently the second most valuable in basketball.

Read: The Five NFL Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six MLB Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Five NHL Teams Americans Bet On The Most 

The MLB

6. Atlanta Braves
> Team value: #13
> Attendance 2010: 2,510,119 (13th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: -11.1% (10th biggest decrease)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 888-730 (5th best)

The Atlanta Braves are one of the oldest teams in baseball. In the 1990s, with legendary players such as Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones, the team played in the World Series finals five times, and won the title during the 1995 season. The team has since had mixed success, only making the playoffs once in the past six seasons, despite recording the fifth-best record in baseball, going 888-730, between 2001 and 2010.

5. Chicago Cubs
> Team value: #4
> Attendance 2010: 3,062,973 (7th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +10.2% (12th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 817-801 (13th)

Unlike most of the teams on this list, the Chicago Cubs are not a team that has many historical wins under its belt. In 1908, the club notched its second World Series title, becoming the first team to win two titles. However, since that time, the Cubs have not won a single World Series, and hold the record for the longest streak without a World Series win, now at 103 years. Since Chicago became a team in 1902, the Cubs have made the playoffs just 16 times. Despite its poor record, the team remains the fourth most valuable in baseball, and is highly beloved among fans. The team had the seventh-highest attendance in 2010.

4. St. Louis Cardinals
> Team value: #11
> Attendance 2010: 3,301,218 (4th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +6.04% (14th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 904-715 (3rd best)

The St. Louis Cardinals have won more World Series than any major league team but the Yankees. Under manager Tony La Russa and slugger Albert Pujols, the team has had a highly successful decade, with the third best record in the MLB, behind the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, and are battling the Texas Rangers for the title this year again. Last year, the team had the fourth highest attendance in baseball, at over 3.3 million people watching their games.

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3. Philadelphia Phillies
> Team value: #6
> Attendance 2010: 3,647,249 (2nd highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +104.67% (the biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 882-737 (7th best)

According to the team’s website, the Philadelphia Phillies are “the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports.” Despite being among the oldest in baseball, the Phillies have won just two World Series. Recently, however, the team has been very successful, making the playoffs the past six years in a row, and winning the World Series in 2008. In 2004, the team moved to Citizens Bank Park from Veterans Stadium. Despite the fact that stadium capacity decreased by more than 10,000 people, regular season attendance has more than doubled over a ten-year period. Between 2001 and 2010 the team had the seventh best record in baseball.

2. Boston Red Sox
> Team value: #2
> Attendance 2010: 3,046,443 (8th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +16.04% (10th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 924-695 (2nd best)

The Boston Americans were founded in 1901 as one of the American League’s eight charter franchises. The team won the very first World Series, anchored by hall-of-fame pitcher Cy Young. By 1907, the team was known as the Red Sox, and between 1912 and 1918 won four additional World Series. But after that final victory and the selling of pitcher and slugger Babe Ruth in 1919, the Sox could not win when it mattered. While Boston fielded many greats, including Ted Williams, more than eight decades passed before it won another World Series. The Boston Red Sox finally won in 2004 in legendary fashion, beating the rival New York Yankees in the ALCS after falling behind 0-3 and sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals to secure the championship. They won the series again in 2007 and have consistently been one of the best teams in baseball over the last decade. Between 2001 and 2010, the Sox had the second-best record in baseball, behind only the Yankees.

1. New York Yankees
> Team value: #1
> Attendance 2010: 3,765,807 (the highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +15.35% (11th biggest increase)
> W-L Last Ten Years: 973-644 (the best)

The Bronx Bombers are arguably the most storied franchise in major league sports, and certainly the one with the most wins. Since their start as a the Highlanders in 1903, to their first game as the Yankees in 1913 through today, the team has rarely had a period in its history where it did not have a legitimate chance of winning the major league title. Since the inception of the World Series in 1903, the team has won 27 times, or one in every four series (it played and lost in an additional 13). Since the inception of the wildcard in 1995, the Yankees have made the playoffs every year except one (2007), have been to seven World Series, and won five. The Yankees moved to a brand new stadium in 2009, and christened the new field with yet another World Series win.

Read: The Five NFL Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six NBA Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Five NHL Teams Americans Bet On The Most 

The NHL

5. Philadelphia Flyers
> Team value: #6
> Attendance 2010: 808,328 (3rd highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +0.71% (16th biggest increase)
> W-L-T-OTL Last Ten Years: 368-256-38-76 (7th best)

The Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs only once since the 1994-1995 season. The team has played in the Stanley Cup finals five times since 1980, but hasn’t won once. Nevertheless, the team had the third highest attendance in hockey last season, a year after losing the Cup to the Chicago Blackhawks. The team was tied with state rival Pittsburgh for the third-best record in the league last season.

4. Chicago Blackhawks
> Team value: #7
> Attendance 2010: 878,356 (the highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +42.85% (the biggest increase)
> W-L-T-OTL Last Ten Years: 330-297-37-74 (9th worst)

The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the four American teams that were part of the NHL Original Six. The team has won four Stanley Cups, tied for third-most among American teams. The most recent win was in 2010, when a young team led by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane beat the Philladelphia Flyers. Over the past decade, the Blackhawks actually have had the ninth worst record in hockey, but their recent successes and fan base (the highest attendance in 2010) buoyed the team’s value.

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3. Detroit Red Wings
> Team value: #4
> Attendance 2010: 806,892 (4th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: -1.57% (11th biggest decrease)
> W-L-T-OTL Last Ten Years: 451-184-31-72 (the best)

There’s a reason Detroit is nicknamed “Hockeytown.” The city has fielded the most successful American NHL team in history. Part of the Original Six, the Red Wings have made more Stanley Cup appearances than all but the Montreal Canadiens, and have won the Cup more times than any American team. The Red Wings are the fourth most valuable team in hockey, and had the best record in hockey between 2001 and 2010 with 451 wins and just 184 regular season losses.

2. Boston Bruins
> Team value: #5
> Attendance 2010: 702,600 (17th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +11.04% (7th biggest increase)
> W-L-T-OTL Last Ten Years: 363-255-32-88 (8th best)

The Bruins are one of America’s most storied hockey franchises. The team competed for the Stanley Cup one less time than Detroit, which holds the record in the U.S. With NHL legend Bobby Orr, the team earned two Stanley Cups, in 1970 and 1972. Last year, behind the impressive goaltending of veteran Tim Thomas, the team won its sixth Stanley Cup. The Bruins have been one of the top teams in the NHL over the last decade, missing the playoffs only twice.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins
> Team value: #9
> Attendance 2010: 729,628 (14th highest)
> Pct. change attendance 2001 – 2010: +6.72% (12th biggest increase)
> W-L-T-OTL Last Ten Years: 335-310-22-71 (8th worst)

Founded in 1967 as part of NHL expansion, the Pittsburgh Penguins won two Stanley Cups in 1990-1991 and 1991-1992, during the so-called Lemieux-Jagr era. Jaromir Jagr holds the record for the most goals by a European-born player at 646. Mario Lemieux, who is now  the team’s principal owner, holds many records, including the most goals in a single playoff game, at 5. The early 1990s team is regarded as one of the best NHL teams of all time. Currently led by the exciting tandem of Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin, considered two of the best players in hockey, the team won another Stanley Cup in 2009. The team actually had the eighth worst record between 2001-2010, but the second half of the decade, in which the team has been stellar, has made up for the first.

Read: The Five NFL Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six NBA Teams Americans Bet On The Most
Read: The Six MLB Teams Americans Bet On The Most

-Douglas A. McIntyre and Michael B. Sauter