Super Bowl Betting Expected to Reach $16bn

One of the largest sporting events in the US, the Super Bowl, is taking place this Sunday, 12^th February 2022. The game will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won two Super Bowls, and the Philadelphia Eagles, who only have one previous win. With excitement and anticipation building up amongst fans of American football, the American Gaming Association has predicted that the event will attract over $16bn in bets.

According to the Association, over 50 million Americans are expected to bet on the game. Some of them will bet casually, between friends, however the majority are expected to make an official bet using a betting site. Naturally, most UK betting sites will offer odds on the game, and some of the best odds currently on offer come from SpreadEx, LiveScoreBet, 10Bet, and BoyleSports (ranking at 8th on our full betting sites list).

According to a recent survey, over 30 million American adults are planning to visit a sports betting site and place a bet on their team of choice, or other markets associated with the game. Some bettors are expected to visit physical betting shops, however the increased popularity of online betting means that most will wager from the comfort of their homes. What’s more, a number of betting sites offer the opportunity to make in-play bets, with the odds changing to reflect the latest developments in the game.

According to the American Gambling Association, the number of bettors this year are going to increase significantly from 2022, when around 18.2 million people placed a bet on the Super Bowl. The amount wagered will more than double, with $16bn expected to be placed in bets across all platforms; in 2022, the amount was recorded at $7.6bn.

Naturally, the game attracts a lot of attention in the US, and is usually ranked amongst the most-watched TV events each year. With more than 100 million people watching, betting sites are bracing themselves for an influx of new customers and bets. Some of the most popular betting sites in the country, FanDuel and DraftKings, are expected to be extremely busy on the day. FanDuel is owned by UK-based betting giant Flutter Entertainment, who also own popular UK betting sites Paddy Power, Sky Betting & Gaming, PokerStars, and Betfair. Customers of FanDuel will be in for a chance to win their share of $10m in free bets if they participate in their current promotional event.

DraftKings is one of the largest betting sites in the US and is the main competition for betting giant MGM. In 2021, after MGM made an offer of over £8bn to acquire partner Entain (both companies operate in a joint venture together), DraftKings submitted an offer of £16.2bn, which may have been considered seriously if there was not a clause in the venture that MGM can veto the acquisition of Entain by another US betting site while the venture was still in operation. Now that the joint venture is coming to an end, many industry experts are expecting MGM to make another offer, as the company is now in a much stronger position, having grown and developed in the past 2 years. It is anticipated, however, that DraftKings may also consider making a new offer if the conditions are circumstances are right.

Discussing the event, DraftKings Co-Founder and President for North America Matt Kalish said:

“It’s always one of the biggest days of the year. It’s a one-of-a-kind event where even if you’re not betting on every game during the regular season, there’s something for you in the Super Bowl.”

In an attempt to attract bettors to its platform, DraftKing will offer over a 1,000 markets related to the game, and some of them will be fairly unorthodox, such as the colour of the winning team’s Gatorade. N

Another betting site that will definitely see increased traffic around the SuperBowl is bet365. One of the best-known online betting providers across the world, bet365 has the advantage of providing seamless streaming services for the sporting events they offer odds on. Using the services of sports betting content providers like Sports Information Services (SIS), and Infront Bettor, the betting site has invested heavily in technology that aims to reduce streaming latency from the 6-9 seconds’ standard delay to real-time streaming. It is very likely that customers will be attracted to the bet365 for its information content, excellent odds, ongoing promotions, and seamless customer service.

The game will take place in Arizona, a state which only recently legalised betting sites. Arizona is one of 23 states which recently legalised online sports betting. It is an exciting time for customers, whether in the UK, or the US, to try betting on the Super Bowl, as betting sites all over have only just recovered from the negative effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and are offering exciting promotions for new and existing customers alike, while ensuring that betting and gaming is enjoyed in a safe and responsible manner by all bettors.