As bonuses diminish and user expectations rise, bettors are expressing dissatisfaction with the apps they utilize. Despite DraftKings and FanDuel maintaining a commanding presence, capturing over 80% of the legal sports betting market and half of the online casino sector in the U.S., a recent study by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reveals a dip in overall customer satisfaction.
The ACSI indicates that this trend is not unique to these two companies. The report highlights a growing discontent among users regarding the gambling experience, even though they perceive the quality of the apps to be superior compared to a year ago. The primary reasons for this dissatisfaction include a decrease in the variety of bonuses previously offered and rising expectations from customers.
Users have rated these platforms as faster, more comprehensive, and more secure than they were a year prior, yet their satisfaction continues to decline. The gap between rising expectations and actual service delivery has widened, and while the volume of complaints remains stable, the handling of these complaints has deteriorated, suggesting that the issue lies with the resolution process rather than the products themselves.
Forrest Morgeson, the Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, stated, “Despite improvements in content and technology this year, overall satisfaction has either decreased or barely changed across many industries. A better product is now the standard, and it no longer significantly enhances satisfaction.” He emphasized that simplifying the overall experience—such as reducing the number of accounts, streamlining billing, and minimizing subscription management—would be more effective in boosting customer satisfaction.
The ACSI, established in 1994 at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, serves as a national economic indicator and customer analytics platform. It conducts around 200,000 interviews annually to assess customer satisfaction across more than 400 companies in over 40 industries.
In terms of satisfaction rankings, BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel are tied, with DraftKings experiencing a 5% drop to a satisfaction rate of 74%, while FanDuel also fell by 3% to the same score. Users who engaged with both sports betting and casino apps reported a satisfaction rate of 78%, whereas those using only sports or casino apps reported lower satisfaction rates of 75% and 70%, respectively. The percentage of respondents using both types of apps increased from 25% to 29% over the past year, while sportsbook-only users remained the largest group at 43%.
The ACSI analysis attributes the stagnation in consumer favor to a reduction in customer acquisition bonuses and the limited availability of free sports betting opportunities in the U.S. Missouri recently became the latest state to legalize sports betting, set to launch in 2025, marking the first year since the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018 that no new states legalized sports betting. Currently, 41 jurisdictions in the U.S. have legal sports betting markets, although prediction markets are still fighting for their right to operate nationally under the Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
The report notes that the clustering of sportsbook apps in terms of satisfaction reflects a shift in the industry, where promotional spending has decreased by as much as 20% in early 2026 as companies adapt to a maturing market. This shift indicates a move away from the years of aggressive customer acquisition spending.