Operator News

US – AGA predicts 23.2m Americans will bet $4.3bn on this year’s Super Bowl

By Phil - 2 February 2021

With 21 legal sports betting markets now operational, the American Gaming Association is predicting that 23.2m Americans plan to bet a total of $4.3bn on this year’s Super Bowl LV matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Among Super Bowl bettors, a record 7.6m will bet with online sportsbooks this year, up 63 per cent year-over-year.

“This year’s Super Bowl is expected to generate the largest single-event legal handle in American sports betting history,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “With a robust legal market, Americans are abandoning illegal bookies and taking their action into the regulated marketplace in record numbers.”

Since last year’s game, 36m more American adults have gained the opportunity to safely bet in legal markets in their home state with seven new jurisdictions now live: Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

An expected overall drop in overall Super Bowl betting is almost entirely caused by pandemic-led restrictions, with the largest declines anticipated for retail sportsbooks and casual bets, like pools or squares, that are made in social settings.

Key findings from the survey, conducted by Morning Consult, reflect dramatically shifting betting patterns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. it found that 1.4m Americans plan to bet in-person at a sportsbook, down 61 per cent from 2020, 1.8m bettors plan to place a bet with a bookie, down 21 per cent and 4.5m Americans plan to place a pool, squares, or similar bet, down 19 per cent.

It also found that 11.9m Americans plan to bet casually with friends, down 18 per cent. In terms of the outcome, it is predicting that 56 per cent of bettors plan to bet on the Chiefs while 44 per cent plan to bet on the Buccaneers. While previous AGA research has shown consumer confusion over the legal status of many online sportsbooks, consumers feel it is important to bet legally: 65 per cent of expected Super Bowl bettors say it is important for themselves personally to use a legal, regulated sportsbook for their bets.

As awareness and availability of legal betting options grows, so do the benefits to consumers: 34 percent of Americans remember seeing responsible gaming messaging in the past year, up five points from 2020. Super Bowl bettors were even more likely to see responsibility content, with 53 percent seeing responsible gaming messaging in the past year.

“This data is an encouraging sign that our efforts to ground the expansion of sports betting in responsible gaming is taking hold,” stated Mr. Miller. “Responsible gaming is core to legal sports betting’s long-term success, and this is borne out by continued demand for consumer protections only available in the legal market.”

One part of the industry’s effort to broaden consumer awareness of legal, responsible betting is the AGA’s Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly. campaign which—along with its partners, the National Hockey League (NHL), PGA TOUR, NASCAR, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and Vegas Golden Knights—educates fans on the fundamentals of responsible sports betting.

PayPerHead, a leading bookie software provider, has no doubt that the 2021 Super Bowl will break betting records.

“Even if you don’t have the internet or television, you know about this game. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are two of the most popular individuals, not just athletes, but people on the planet,” said Nate Johnson, product manager for PayPerHead.

With PayPerHead.com software, an individual bookmaker’s sportsbook can offer the same options that larger sportsbooks offer. Mr. Johnson said the organisation added two digital platforms that should help their per head agents break individual Super Bowl betting action records. The first is Live+, an in-game wagering platform that offers game trackers and video streams.

“With Live+,” Mr. Johnson said, “players have no reason to leave our agents’ sites. They can check Super Bowl LV stats, check out video streams, and make bets while the action happens.” The other platform that has PayPerHead agents excited is what Johnson calls Premium Props. “In the past, players couldn’t bet on sports performances through the same agent platform. Now they can.”

So far, adopting agents have seen at least a 15 per cent rise in action from Premium Props. Johnson expects Super Bowl LV to blow past that number. “The NFL has never had a Super Bowl like this before. The best current player in the league goes up against the best player of all time and all eyes will be watching and millions of dollars will be wagered. In the National Football League, quarterback is the most important position. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs versus Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? It’s a historical, dream matchup. With Live+ and Premium Props, our agents are in the best position to capitalize.”