Getty Images. Pictured: Super Bowl 55 logo
With legal sports betting options increasing across the country, research from the American Gaming Association shows this year’s Super Bowl will be the most bet-on event of all time.
Over 23 million Americans are expected to bet $4.3 billion on Super Bowl 55 between the Chiefs and Buccaneers, according to the AGA. It’s anticipated there will be a 63% increase in online sportsbook wagering for this year’s game.
That aligns with a poll from Seton Hall released this week that showed a 15% increase in Super Bowl wagering compared to the same 2019 poll.
“This year’s Super Bowl is expected to generate the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in a press release on Tuesday.
As legal sports betting grows, so does the amount of bettors. Seven states added sports betting since Super Bowl 54, including mobile options for Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee and Michigan. That’s important, as 82% of legal bets are placed via mobile devices.
Not everything is up this year for sports wagering, though, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the AGA, in-person betting at sportsbooks is down 61% from 2020. Pools, squares and other Super Bowl pools are also down 19% as bars across the country are shut down and large gatherings are limited due to the pandemic.
Also losing business is the local bookie. The AGA report says 1.8 million Americans will bet with a bookie for the Super Bowl, down 21 percent from 2020.
