Data from Entain, one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, has revealed a large rise in the popularity of NFL betting in the UK. Brits are betting more than ever on the London games and the US Prime Time matches, with a65% year-on-year increase in the total number of Brits & Irish betting on the NFL.

The NFL now plays three games in London every season, with a total of nearly 40 games played since 2007. There are promising signs that it is enhancing the sport’s popularity, with the 2024/25 NFL season already seeing record numbers of players, stakes, and bets placed on games by UK fans.

Data from Entain’s Ladbrokes and Coral brands reveals: The 2024/25 season has seen a 65% year-on-year increase in the total number of Brits & Irish betting on the NFL.

There has been a 60% increase in the number of bets placed (YoY), and a 46% increase in total stakes placed (YoY). Across the three London games, total staking was up over 51% YoY, with each game more popular than the previous year,

The NFL London games were played during Week 5, Week 6, and Week 7 of the 2024 regular season. The Jets vs. Vikings and Jaguars vs. Bears games were held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while Wembley Stadium hosted the Patriots vs. Jaguars game.

Greg Ferris, Managing Director, Sports at Entain, says, “During the last twenty years, the NFL has become truly international, with games taking place around the world, helping to grow a global fanbase. In the UK and Ireland, fans are not only betting more on the games in London but also on many of the prime-time games being staged in the US. This is evidence of a committed and knowledgeable NFL fanbase in the UK that continues to grow.”

UK fans got to see the future of the NFL as number one overall draft pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears overcame former top pick Trevor Lawrence’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Fans were also treated to the Minnesota Vikings beating one of the sport’s iconic quarterbacks, four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets.

Although the London games are seeing growing interest, the sport’s biggest stars and occasions still draw the most UK stakes despite many of the biggest games happening in the US. The top three most staked games in the UK took place in the US and demonstrates therise of genuine interest among the UK’s growing knowledgeable fan base. 

These top staking games included the opening weekend game between the Eagles and Packers in Brazil, the NFL opening game with the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Baltimore Ravens, and the first Monday Night Football game of the new NFL season with the 49ers taking on the Jets.

Across the UK, picking which of the two teams will win the match outright (the money line) still attracts the highest interest from bettors, but betting on anytime touchdown scorers has surged in popularity this season, up nearly 90%. Popular running backs Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Breece Hall all top the list, with other favourites Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes also in the top ten.