When the very first Playstation was released in the 1990s, one of the most popular video games was Madden NFL – with the first PS1 iteration being released in 1997.
It would have been hard to believe back then that, nearly thirty years in the future, the Madden video game series would still be going strong. Not only that, but you could use a Playstation console to both play and watch NFL games.
In 2024, millions of NFL enthusiasts will use their video game consoles as a certified TV box, with apps like NFL+ giving them the option to watch local and primetime games live, as well replays and highlights. In addition to this, streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu+ and Amazon Prime Video also provide access to exclusive NFL games, complete with analysis shows and extra behind-the-scenes content.
The life of NFL fans has indeed never been sweeter, but there is one part of watching NFL games that has taken a little longer to transfer to the console gaming space: sports betting.
According to the most recent statistics, nearly 74 million American adults bet on NFL every season, but while betting is almost a form of gaming – even the gambling industry uses the words ‘gaming’ and ‘gambling’ interchangeably – the ability to bet on NFL games on consoles has not been made easy.
What’s the Betting Situation?
Let’s start by asking the question upfront: can you bet on NFL games on consoles? The answer is a complicated one. Yes, you can, but it’s a bit indirect.
Over the last decade or so, several casino-related games have been released on consoles like Playstation and Xbox – including the WSOP game and the GTA V casino, for instance – but companies like Microsoft and Sony are yet to go one step further and actually integrate betting and casino apps on the console themselves.
That is to say, while you can quickly click on the NFL+ app to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play next season, you can’t quickly jump on a betting app to place a bet. Instead, the only easy way for you to do so is through the web browser, where you can log into a sports betting website.
Some streaming services like Amazon Prime have integrated sports betting features, but if you have a casino in mind, this might not be a feasible option – not to mention you’ll have to place bets through linked accounts.
Will You Be Able to Place Bets in the Future?
So what about in a few years time? It’s no secret that the online sports betting industry has experienced one of the most consistent annual growth figures in the modern age, so you would have assumed that companies like Sony and Microsoft would want to jump on board. Whether they will look into online casinos and sports betting as a primary avenue, however, remains to be seen.
As of right now, neither Sony or Microsoft have announced whether they have a next generation of gaming consoles in the pipeline, and if they do, judging from past timelines, they won’t be released for another four years at least.
With this in mind, knowing whether you will be able to easily place bets on your console in the future is impossible. It remains a guessing game, and with other avenues like VR and AR to focus on, it’s not clear whether both companies will lean too hard towards it.
Do You Want to Place Bets on Your Console?
Perhaps one of the reasons that Microsoft and Sony haven’t focused too heavily on integrating betting apps is because the competition is too strong. In another recent study, it was discovered that nearly 80% of gamblers place bets on their mobile phone. In many ways, the unprecedented rise of the mobile gaming industry can be put down to the growing accessibility of mobile phones, and these devices are exactly what consoles will have to compete against.
Despite their impressive software, console players still have to sit down in front of a monitor, go online and log in. The process remains exactly the same as it was thirty years ago – but with extra steps due to the need to be online. If people strayed away from PCs to play casino games and make bets on their phone, what would make them stray over to consoles to do the same thing?
It feels like, now and in the future, the best way to watch NFL games and bet on them smoothly and swiftly is with two devices. The console for streaming, and the mobile phone for betting. With this in mind, if Microsoft and Sony were to try to tap into this market, it would have to be with something special. We’re all just going to have to wait and see what that ‘something special’ is!
