There are some periods of the sporting calendar that are more important than others. Sometimes, they correspond to the mainstream holiday calendar (such as Thanksgiving for the NFL, Christmas Day for the NBA, or the Fourth of July for MLB), while at other times, championship celebrations become quasi-holidays in their own right (such as the Super Bowl and March Madness).
But in the fall, comes a very special kind of sporting occasion that celebrates the ubiquity of American sports and gives fans a reason to stay glued to their couches with eyes glued to the TV screen.
Of course, it’s the sports equinox, the day when all four major professional sports leagues in the United States— mlb, nba, nfl And nhl — are in action. Since its first occurrence on October 17, 1971, there have been 31 such occasions, with the 32nd occurring on October 27, 2025. While there is not a sports equinox every year, since 2015 there has been at least one sports equinox per year, sometimes up to three.
The sports equinox typically falls in October due to the line up of league calendars: MLB is included. post season And the NFL is in its second month, while the NBA and NHL start their seasons during this month. Sometimes, sports equinoxes are stretched to November – the most recent occurrence is November 3, 2022 – and in 2020, there were actually three equinoxes in September due to schedule irregularities from the COVID-19 pandemic.
bookmakers are taking notice
In addition to being a generally joyous occasion for sports fans, the “holiday,” as BetMGM Chief Revenue Officer Matt Prevost describes it, boosts sports betting when bookmakers are eager to join in the excitement and sportsbooks increase their special offers to join in on the fun. “It’s an incredible period of time,” Prevost told ESPN.
According to sportsbook data, BetMGM took 15% more bets on the 2024 sporting equinox day than the average day during the rest of the year. The event is also rising in the minds of bettors, as the 2024 Equinox had 50% more bets and more than 33% more handles than the 2023 edition.
The 2025 version will feature game 3 with the world series toronto blue jays And los angeles dodgers Tied at 1-1, one”monday night football“match between Washington Commanders And kansas city chiefsA big slate More from 11 NBA games Two nhl competitions. While the sporting equinoxes do not always fall on a Monday – they are also possible on a Thursday and Sunday – the last three (including 2025) have done so.
nba boosts
Even before the NBA season begins, Monday in October 2025 has provided a real treat for sports fans. October 13 featured the MLB Championship Series, two NFL games and a full NHL slate, while October 20 featured Game 7 of the ALCS – which propelled the Blue Jays to their first World Series in 32 years – another two NFL games and another full NHL slate.
Prevost sees the NBA getting in on the action not only as the final piece of the puzzle to complete the Equinox, but also as an opportunity to restart betting for the year and re-engage basketball bettors in general, which is especially important since basketball is the second most bet on sport behind the football market.
“At the beginning of each season, we have a group of customers who actually only place bets [on] Are basketball or basketball-dominant,” Prevost said. “So I think Sports Equinox provides us an opportunity to re-energize those customers who are mostly basketball-focused. “This is probably the promotional activity we would be most interested in pursuing.”
Big impact on MLB too
According to 2024 data from BetMGM, the NBA receives a greater increase in ticket share on game equinox days than the week of the occasion. But the biggest comparative bump of any league is from MLB, which saw a significant increase in bets and money percentages on the sports equinox itself. The increased wagering of MLB postseason and World Series games attracts bettors more at this time of year than during the summer.
“Baseball [postseason] “It’s less games, but the games are bigger,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN. So even though you get a little less content, the games are more worthwhile. I think this increases the interest in betting.”
Of course, it also helps the books when series last as long as possible, and the 2025 MLB postseason was a mixed bag: Three of the four wild-card series went a maximum of three games, but then only half of the divisional and championship series went a maximum of games in the following rounds.
The World Series is a good start in this regard, plus the presence of the Blue Jays – who play in Ontario, the only province in Canada with a privately owned sportsbook – and the big-market Dodgers could also help matters.
“Although we don’t pick favorites, the fan interest level will obviously be much higher and the betting interest will be much higher if the most popular teams are in it, and also in states where we have regulated gaming,” Prevost said at the beginning of the postseason.
All eyes are on October
October is typically a big month for sports and sports betting, as BetMGM says October 2024 saw 32.4% more tickets and 27.3% more handle than the average for the other 11 months of the year. Fiserv, a financial technology company that provides payment platforms for many of the nation’s largest online sportsbooks, describes this time of year as a “pivotal stress test” for sportsbook infrastructure.
“With the increase in sports betting in October, the biggest risk to sportsbooks and gaming operators is the downtime of their payment systems and their ability to support the volume of transactions coming in and out,” Paul Jordan, Fiserv’s head of gaming, hotels, travel and leisure, told ESPN over email. “We have seen the need for our sportsbooks and gaming merchants to support their customers’ growing desire for real-time access to funds.”
Sportsbooks plan to get in on the action with special markets and increased profits to mark Monday’s sports equinox, giving bettors of all levels more incentive to celebrate the holiday. But whether money is at stake or not, the Sports Equinox represents a perfect opportunity for sports fans to reconnect with major sports leagues and enjoy the entertainment they provide.
