Record number of bettors wagering on Super Bowl, study says

The first NFL championship game ever played in a state with legal sports wagering will see a record number of adults placing bets on Sunday’s Super Bowl in Arizona.

An American Gaming Association poll said 50.4 million adults are expected to bet a total of $16 billion on the game, twice the amount estimated last year.

“Every year, the Super Bowl serves to highlight the benefits of legal sports betting: Bettors are transitioning to the protections of the regulated market, leagues and sports media are seeing increased engagement, and legal operators are driving needed tax revenue to states across the country,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in a release.

Sunday’s game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The Grand Canyon State is a newbie to sports wagering, taking its first bet at the beginning of the 2021 football season. Not only will Arizona be the first legalized betting state to host a Super Bowl but a BetMGM sportsbook is located at the stadium.

Another legal sports-betting state — Nevada — will host the Super Bowl in 2024.

The AGA said the expansion of legalized sports wagering nationwide is driving increases in betting.

Washington D.C. and 33 states currently offer live, legal sports betting with three others awaiting a startup date.

With the expansion of legal sports betting, traditional Super Bowl wagers are expected to pass casual wagers for the first time.

The survey was conducted by technology company Morning Consult between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and contacted 2,199 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent and greater among subgroups. Bettors included those who expected to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, in a pool or squares contest, or casually with family or friends.

The survey found:

— Thirty million adults plan to place a traditional sports wager online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie, up 66 percent from 2022.

— Twenty-eight million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, up 50 percent from 2022.

— Forty percent of bettors said they would be betting on the favored Philadelphia Eagles, while another 44 percent said they’d bet on the underdog Kansas City Chiefs. The other bets would be on in-game propositions or wagers that did not involve a winning side.

— The majority of traditional Super Bowl bettors, 71 percent, report seeing a responsible gaming message in the last year. Bettors under 35 years old are more likely to recall seeing a responsible gaming message, and younger bettors are more likely to say it is important to only wager legally.

Arizona regulators are echoing the AGA’s “Have a Game Plan” betting responsibility campaign.

That campaign suggests that bettors set a budget and betting limit and stick to it, use legal sportsbooks, know the odds and understand the rules when placing a bet, and keep the game social and be mindful that gambling is a form of entertainment.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.