Sport Fandom in North America: How We Watch, Bet and Connect
With the world's eyes on North America's international soccer tournament, Jackpot City, Canada's premium online casino, with its host of sports themed casino games, looks into what drives Canada's sport fans. Sports fandom is more than watching a game. Across North America, it shapes how people spend their time, connect with others, engage online and even plan their work schedules.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from our analysis of sports fandom across Canada and the U.S.
Sports fandom at a glance
🏒 77% of Canadians identify as sports fans.
📣 17 million Canadians consider themselves fans of women's sports.
🥅 The PWHL surpassed 1 million fans during its third regular season and saw Canadian viewership increase 78% compared to its inaugural season.
⚽ Among Canadian youth aged 5–17, soccer ranks as the most-played sport, ahead of basketball and hockey/ringette.
🤒 37% of Canadian professionals know someone who has skipped work after a major sporting event.
💰 Ontario players wagered $82.7 billion through the province's regulated igaming market in 2024-25.
🏈 26.2 million U.S. employees were expected to miss work after the 2026 Super Bowl.
🌎 36 million U.S. employees were expected to have their attendance affected by the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
👕 22% of American sports fans have a pre-game ritual.
🍀 31% believe their ritual can help their team or player win.
🗺️ Soccer is the most popular sport in 31 U.S. states.
📱 Social media, streaming, fantasy sports and online communities have transformed fandom into a second-screen experience.
🎲 One in five U.S. sports fans now gamble on sports.
What today's sports fan looks like
Modern sports fans are more likely to:
- Follow games across multiple screens
- Participate in online fan communities
- Wear lucky clothing or follow game-day rituals
- Engage with athletes directly through social media
- Track fantasy sports, odds and live statistics
- Follow emerging sports and leagues alongside traditional favourites
The biggest takeaway
Sports fandom has always been about more than the game itself. What has changed is how many ways there are to participate. Fans are no longer just watching from the stands or the couch. They are joining online communities, following athletes directly, engaging with women's sports in record numbers and following games through a mix of broadcasts, social media, statistics, fantasy sports and betting platforms.
Whether it's taking Monday off after the Super Bowl, wearing a lucky jersey, supporting a hometown team, following the rise of a new league, or tracking live odds as the game unfolds, it’s clear that sports have woven themselves even more deeply into the fabric of culture and everyday life across North America.
Sources
Analysis based on publicly available research and data from UKG, Robert Half, Talker Research, CBC, Statistics Canada, Canadian Women & Sport, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, CFLRI, iGaming Ontario, SBRnet, World Population Review, and the Routledge Handbook of Sports Fans and Fandom