Discover Fan Loyalty Poll: When It Comes To Friendly Wagers, 36 Percent Of College Football Fans Prefer To Keep It Out Of The Family

November 8, 2012

Fans Would Rather Bet with Friends or Colleagues Over Family Members

RIVERWOODS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2012-- The probability that college football fans will pick someone inside their family to place a bet with is low as this week’s Discover Fan Loyalty Poll finds that friends are the first choice.

In the 10th week of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll designed to gauge college football fan loyalty, fans were asked if they had to make a wager on their favorite college football team, who they would prefer to wager with. The responses were as follows:

  • A friend, 36 percent
  • Your spouse, 20 percent
  • A family member, 17 percent
  • A colleague, 11 percent
  • Not sure, 17 percent

However, it wasn’t nearly as cut and dry as to what fans would be willing to give up in their friendly bet. When asked if at the time they were to place the bet that they were very confident their team would win the national championship, what would they be willing to wager, fans selected from among the following options:

  • Give up alcohol for a month, 16 percent
  • Give up their cell phone for a month, 10 percent
  • Give up the Internet for a month, 6 percent
  • Give up TV for a month, 4 percent
  • Give up their car for a month, 1 percent

The 62 percent who answered not sure, no doubt had something else in mind.

For the 20 percent of spouses making wagers with each other, 18 percent were willing to put their cell phone on the line, followed by Internet at 11 percent, alcohol at 8 percent, and TV at 5 percent.

If fans had to bet on which college football team is the best in the country right now, Alabama would come out on top for the 10th week in a row with 44 percent of the vote. Fans seemed to be mixed this week on the order of the top five, including dropping Georgia in favor of LSU. The rankings are as follows:

  • Alabama, 44 percent
  • Oregon, 15 percent
  • Notre Dame, 10 percent
  • Kansas State, 8 percent
  • Louisiana State University, 3 percent
  • Florida, 2 percent
  • South Carolina, 1 percent
  • Georgia, 1 percent
  • Some other team, 11 percent
  • Not sure, 6 percent

The 15-week Discover Fan Loyalty Poll is conducted by Rasmussen Reports, a nationally recognized leader in polling, who gathers sentiment by phone from 800 college football fans who follow games at least once per week on television, radio, in person or online.

Discover launched the Fan Loyalty Poll to give die-hard fans a platform to showcase their dedication and love for their favorite college football team leading up to the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game and 2013 Discover Orange Bowl. Each week the poll will offer new questions about what college football fans are thinking this season.

Beyond title sponsorship of the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game and 2013 Discover Orange Bowl, Discover’s commitment to college football includes relationships with ESPN and Notre Dame Football on NBC.

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company operates the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers home loans, private student loans, personal loans, online savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its direct banking business. Its payment businesses consist of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discoverfinancial.com.

Source: Discover Financial Services

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