- The American Gaming Association (AGA) expects to see a Super Bowl record of bets at $4.3 billion in handle.
- The bulk of wagers for the game will be coming from online and mobile sports betting outlets.
- Legal sports wagering in the United States coupled with the Patrick Mahomes-Tom Brady showdown game are reasons for the expected record in bets on the Super Bowl.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday for Super Bowl 55 and the American Gaming Association (AGA) is projecting a record high in sports betting activity and handle for the big day at an estimated $4.3 billion in bets.
It is expected that 23.2 million Americans nationwide will engage in gambling on SB 55, through various outlets.
Almost one-third of the wagers, at 7.6 million of the overall estimated figure are projected to be done using online and mobile sportsbooks. That’s a boost of 63% from 2020’s betting application usage.
The AGA Super Bowl Estimates
The AGA reviewed a survey of 2,198 American adults done by the Morning Consult to come up with their estimates.
All forms of gambling on the Super Bowl were taken into account from using legal online and mobile sportsbooks, to retail venues, personal bookies, and friends. It was concluded that mobile platforms will see the bulk of activity because of the convenience it offers and the confines brought on by the outbreak of COVID-19.
Retail wagers on the Championship game will be down by about 61% at 1.4 million people who will choose to venture to land-based locations to gamble on the game. This decline is said to be a result of the Coronavirus and the lower capacities for which facilities are allowed to operate.
Personal bookies will also see a dip of 21%, taking in 1.8 million bets this year for the Super Bowl.
Gambling on the match up among friends is expected to be down by 19% at 11.9 million because of the social distancing guidelines that are now a part of daily life. And betting pools and squares for the game will be down by 19% to about 4.5 million people who plan to take part in these activities for SB 55.
All ways of betting on the Super Bowl that include people are slated to see these dramatic drops because of COVID-19 but handle is expected to be record breaking due to the use of online and mobile sportsbooks.
“This year’s Super Bowl is expected to generate the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history,” said Bill Miller, AGA president and chief executive. “With a robust legal market, Americans are abandoning illegal bookies and taking their action into the regulated marketplace in record numbers.”
The 2021 Super Bowl
If the research is correct, the $4.3 billion in handle will be a record high for Super Bowl betting. The kickoff of Super Bowl 55 is scheduled for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on the CBS Network to watch. The Kansas City Chiefs will try to hold onto their title of “NFL Champions” when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The AGA is just as excited as sports fans for Super Bowl Sunday in teams of the expected bets to be seen.
“This data (for Super Bowl gambling) is an encouraging sign that our efforts to ground the expansion of sports betting in responsible gaming is taking hold,” said Miller.