Despite being home to DraftKings’ headquarters, job creation from the online sports betting industry is negligible, a Massachusetts study found.
On July 31, 2025, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst released an economic impact study of mobile sports betting in the state. They found that just 118 net jobs were created by online sports betting.
DraftKings, one of the two largest online betting platforms in the U.S., is headquartered in Boston. Massachusetts also licensed apps such as FanDuel and BetMGM.
Net job creation was so low because online sports betting led to job losses in other sectors of the Massachusetts economy.
“The mobile sports betting industry, taken as a whole, creates or supports approximately 118 jobs,” said the report’s executive summary.
“This number represents the estimated number of jobs created through the operations of sports betting firms (722) and the number of jobs created through new state government spending of sports betting revenue (1,861) minus estimated jobs lost through consumption reallocation (2,465).”
Betting Job Picture Could Be Even Worse
The study didn’t factor in job losses because of problem gambling.
Losing a job because of gambling is one of the criteria in the DSM-5 for a disordered gambling diagnosis.
Some people with problem sports betting lose their employment because of their addiction. Others might lose working days or take time off because of their gambling problem.
Gambling Harm is unaware of any research into U.S. worker absenteeism or job loss because of gambling addiction. Still, research in other countries provides insight.
A 2023 Swedish study shines some light on the potential problem.
The Swedish researchers found that people with clinical gambling addiction had an 89% higher risk of being on long-term sick leave—more than 90 days missed during the year they were diagnosed with gambling addiction.
A 2014 Australian study found that one-in-five people with mild forms of problem gambling missed time from work.
Read more: Sports Betting Addiction Statistics
Read more: Why Is Problem Gambling Called The ‘Hidden Addiction’?
Sports Gambling Jobs Outlook
The online sports betting job market has hit a wall.
In 2023, mobile sports betting operators employed an average of 10,265 employees across the U.S. in a quarter. That sports betting job figure is not growing.
With 38 states already permitting some form of sports betting—and only 30 offering online platforms—the U.S. market was largely saturated by mid-2025.
No new states are expected to legalize online sports wagering in 2025: bills in key holdouts like Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Oklahoma remain dormant or unlikely to pass. There is no pending online betting legislation in California, the most populous state.
Lack of market expansion limits industry growth.
As a result, sports betting job openings in sportsbook operations, compliance, marketing, or tech roles are scarce, making entry into the sector highly competitive.
Can You Make a Living From Betting?
The University of Massachusetts Amherst study on betting industry jobs didn’t include any data on professional sports betting.
It’s not impossible to make money from sports betting. However, the odds of using betting as a job are stacked against you.
Nearly all gamblers lose money in the long run, with sports betting being a gambling product based on luck not skill.
A 2024 University of California San Diego study found that just 4% of online gamblers were up money over five years.
A recent gambling tax change also made things worse for anyone trying to turn sports betting into a job.
Gambling Harm recommends never trying to make money from sports gambling.
Related: Do Online Sportsbooks Limit Or Ban Winners?
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