A new nationwide survey of US sports bettors reveals a dramatic collapse in trust in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) competitive integrity, with gamblers shifting their money toward the National Football League (NFL) and expressing overwhelming support for stricter gambling oversight. The findings come during the league’s largest betting scandal in modern history.
The Sacred Heart University Sports Gamblers Poll, conducted between 3 and 5 November, surveyed 500 active US sports bettors and found that 80.7 percent are aware of the NBA gambling investigations, and 79.1 percent say the scandal has damaged their trust in the fairness of NBA games. Nearly 38.2 percent say their trust has been impacted “a lot”.
The fallout is already reshaping betting behaviour. The study shows 35.7 percent of bettors are now less likely to wager on NBA games, while only 29 percent say they are more likely to bet and 34.6 percent report no change.
Source: Sacred Heart University
Among those stepping back from NBA betting, 45.1 percent plan to redirect their wagers to other major U.S. leagues, with the NFL topping the list at 81 percent. A further 27.7 percent say they will reduce sports betting overall, signalling a wider trust crisis across US sports.
Younger gamblers show a notable shift toward college sports, with 19.7 percent of bettors aged 18–34 planning to move some bets to NCAA events.
The poll reveals strong views on responsibility. Nearly half of US gamblers (46.8 percent) believe players and coaches should be held most accountable for gambling violations, compared to 20 percent who blame leagues and 13.4 percent who blame sportsbooks. Support for stricter regulation is overwhelming: 84 percent favour stronger oversight, including 44.4 percent who “strongly support” tighter controls on betting-related misconduct.
Source: Sacred Heart University
Older bettors take an even harder line. About 60.2 percent of gamblers aged over 55 say individual players and coaches should face the harshest accountability.
The perception crisis is not contained to professional basketball. The poll finds 75.1 percent of US sports gamblers believe gambling corruption is more widespread across sports. Additionally, 75.6 percent question the integrity of college athletics following recent NCAA-linked betting violations and the league’s delayed rule change on athlete wagering.
Nearly seven-in-ten gamblers (68.3 percent) say they are concerned that sports betting advertising encourages risky or unethical betting behaviour. The concern is highest among older bettors, college-educated respondents, and men, who consistently expressed stronger distrust across the study.
With federal investigations, high-profile arrests, and widening allegations of insider betting, the report notes that gamblers now see integrity gaps stretching across multiple leagues. The researchers conclude that the findings point to “broad scepticism” in the current safeguards protecting sports integrity, a scepticism now reshaping both public perception and betting behaviour.
Meanwhile, the NBA has expanded its investigation into alleged illegal gambling activity, requesting documents, mobile phones, and electronic records from individuals across several teams, according to several media reports.
The move follows last month’s federal indictments involving Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones. According to ESPN, the league appointed an independent law firm to lead the inquiry after the federal charges became public.
A recent Quinnipiac University Sports Poll revealed that 33 percent of Americans believe NBA players and coaches are involved in illegal betting, a striking figure that reflects widespread distrust amid the scandal.
About 12 percent believe illegal betting happens very often and twenty-one percent say it happens somewhat often. Meanwhile, 66 percent think it is occasional or rare.
“Perception is important, and right now the NBA clearly has a perception problem. It might, too, have a trust problem,” said Nick Pietruszkiewicz, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Director of Sports Communications at Quinnipiac University. Among NBA fans, belief in illegal activity is slightly higher, with 35 percent saying it happens often.
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