September 23, 2026
A new Fullstory survey of more than 1,000 US consumers finds that 77% have switched gaming platforms because of the user experience, 83% would likely leave after a single bad digital experience — and only 51% name payouts or odds as a deciding factor. Prediction markets are sharpening the competition: 53% of bettors compare options before placing a bet.
Ask a bettor what makes a good sportsbook and the answer you expect is the odds. Ask them why they actually left one, and a new survey suggests the answer is far more mundane: the app was annoying to use.
Digital experience company Fullstory published its 2026 Gambling & Gaming Survey on 22 September, based on responses from more than 1,000 consumers in the United States. It asked how people use online gaming, betting and prediction platforms — and, more usefully, what makes them stay or go.
Source: Fullstory, 2026 Gambling & Gaming Survey (released 22 September)
Sample: 1,000+ US consumers
Switched over UX: 77% have moved from one platform to another because of the user experience
Would quit after one bad experience: 83% (very or somewhat likely)
Compare before betting: 53% always or often check prediction markets or rival platforms first
Prediction-market effect: ~60% say it is changing how often they use traditional sportsbooks
Top selection factors: trust & reputation 60%, ease of use 59%, odds & payouts 51%
Loyalty is thinner than the marketing budget suggests
The headline number is the size of the churn. Almost eight in ten respondents — 77% — said they have already abandoned one gaming platform for another because of the experience it offered, and ease of use was the most common reason, cited by 44%.
That matters because customer acquisition is the single most expensive line in most operators' accounts. Welcome bonuses, free bets and sponsorship deals are all designed to get a player through the door. The survey suggests many of those players are quietly shown out again by a clumsy deposit screen or a bet slip that takes one tap too many.
Prediction markets have made comparison shopping normal
The second theme is competition from a new direction. More than half of bettors (53%) said they always or often compare prediction markets or other gaming platforms before committing to a bet. When checking an alternative takes seconds, any friction becomes a reason to try somewhere else.
Around 60% of respondents said prediction markets are changing how often they use traditional sportsbooks. Within that group the split is telling:
- 35% are using sportsbooks less often.
- 25% use both types of platform, picking whichever suits a particular event.
Sport remains the biggest category among prediction-market users, ahead of financial and economic events, politics and elections, and entertainment. In other words, the newcomers are competing on the sportsbooks' home turf.
One bad session can be enough
Trust still leads the list of selection criteria: around 60% said a brand's reputation and credibility influence which platform they choose. But the survey is at its sharpest on what happens when the experience goes wrong. 83% said they would be very or somewhat likely to stop using a platform after a poor digital experience.
"Poor" covers a lot of ground — an over-complicated process (also the most common reason for abandoning a prediction or leaving a platform altogether), slow loading, or simply not being able to understand what is on offer. The flip side is what brings people back:
51% — fast performance
45% — clear information about markets and payouts
79% — rate real-time information and responsiveness as extremely or very important while betting or playing
Personalisation: nice to have, not a deal-breaker
Tailored experiences do register, but well behind the basics. 12% said they had switched platforms because of personalisation, and 9% said interest-based recommendations would make them more likely to try a prediction market. The message is fairly blunt: get speed and clarity right first, recommendation engines later.
Worth knowing about the source
Fullstory sells behavioural analytics and digital-experience software, so a survey concluding that user experience decides customer loyalty is squarely in line with its commercial interests. That does not make the figures wrong — and they match what most operators already see in their own retention data — but it is a vendor survey with a US-only sample, not an independent market study, and the full methodology has not been published.
Players are not married to their platforms. With prediction markets one tap away and three in four users already having switched at least once, the operators that win will be the ones that are fast, clear and trustworthy — not just the ones with the biggest welcome offer. For players, it is a reminder that you owe no platform your loyalty: choose a licensed operator you trust, and take your business elsewhere if it makes things harder than they need to be.
Figures are from Fullstory's 2026 Gambling & Gaming Survey of more than 1,000 US consumers and have not been independently verified. The image above is illustrative. Gambling involves risk and isn't for everyone — please play responsibly, set your limits, and if it stops being fun, take a break.
