Throughout history the popularity of sports betting has frequently been associated with wider interest in a given sport itself, so it is no surprise that in the age of online bookmakers this correlation continues to exist.
Of course the sticky issue of the legality of sports betting on a region-by-region basis does make this matter a little more complex, so here is a rundown of how things are shaping up in terms of viewership and fan engagement across the US and North America as a whole.
Cord cutting—the process of cancelling paid TV service—which began in roughly 2010 has continued to proliferate to the tune of 3.4% of subscribers cancelling year over year during Q4 2017. These cancellations have likely affected the mediated viewership of major sports since sports programming is a significant driver of cable subscriptions. Available viewership data from the various leagues cut in both directions—NFL television viewership is down almost 10 percent season over season in 2017, but NBA viewership is up by upwards of 20 percent. So it is unclear whether cord cutting represents a decline in interest the sports themselves or merely paid television viewing of certain sports.