AGA: Expect Massive Growth In How Much Will Be Wagered On Super Bowl This Year

Super Bowl handle expected to be up 78% from last year, according to trade organization
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Jill has covered everything from steeplechase to the NFL and then some during a more than 30-year career in sports journalism. The highlight of her career was covering Oakland Raiders during the Charles Woodson/Jon Gruden era, including the infamous “Snow Bowl” and the Raiders’ 2003 trip to Super Bowl XXXVII. Her specialty these days is covering sports betting and online casino legislation across the country.

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The American Gaming Association released  projections Tuesday for vast growth in how many American adults will wager on Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI and how much they will risk.

The AGA projects a 35% increase from last year in the number of bettors who plan to wager, bringing the total to 31.4 million, and a 78% increase in the amount that will be wagered, meaning handle could top $7.61 billion for the largest single-day sporting event in the United States.

In 2021, bettors wagered $4.31 billion on the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, $3.3 billion less than this year’s projection. This year’s Super Bowl pits the Cincinnati Bengals against the Los Angeles Rams at the Rams home field, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. It will be the second consecutive Super Bowl, but just the second time in history, that one of the teams will be playing at home. The Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium was the site last year.

“The results are clear: Americans have never been more interested in legal sports wagering,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in a press release. “The growth of legal options across the country not only protects fans and the integrity of the games and bets, but also puts illegal operators on notice that their time is limited.”

18.2 million plan to wager at sportsbooks

Since the Supreme Court in 2018 overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, more than 30 U.S. jurisdictions have legalized sports betting. Operators in New York and Louisiana are the most recent to go live. While there is no live sports betting available in either Ohio or California, both of which have a team in the game, Sports Handle on Monday projected that bettors in those states would have wagered as much as $400 million on the game.

According to the AGA press release, 18.2 million bettors plan to wager at a physical sportsbook, online, or via a bookie, an increase of 78% over 2021, while 18.5 million plan to make bets with friends or play in a Super Bowl pool or squares contest, up 23% from 2021. AGA research shows that bettors favor the Rams, and that 55% plan to bet on Los Angeles vs. 45%  on Cincinnati.

Another interesting figure is the increase in the number of bettors who said that it “is important to themselves personally” to wager in a legal environment. In 2021, only 11% of respondents were concerned about betting in a legal market, but in 2022, that number rose to 76%. Compared to last year, 45 million more Americans have access to legal wagering.

Photo: Shutterstock

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