An estimated $90 billion will be bet on football this season, most of it illegally, group says

Americans will bet more than $90 billion — most of that illegally — on pro and college football games this season, a gambling industry group says.

The American Gaming Assn. released its estimate Wednesday, the day before the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers meet to begin the NFL season.

“The American appetite for sports betting has never been greater,” Geoff Freeman, the group’s president, said.

The AGA predicts that $88 billion will be gambled through illegal channels. It said the estimate is based on a National Gambling Impact Study Commission report and legal gambling activity at Nevada sports books.

The gambling industry has been pushing to legalize sports betting in states throughout the country.

“It is time to address this problem and bring sports betting out of the shadows,” Freeman said.

david.wharton@latimes.com

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