By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
People are hungry to place a bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
A record 31.4 million American adults plan to bet on Super Bowl LVI, which is a 35 percent increase from 2021, according to new American Gaming Association research. Bettors will wager an estimated $7.61 billion on this year’s championship game, up $3.33 billion — or 78 percent — from last year, the gambling organization said.
More states are regulating sports betting. Thirty states and Washington, D.C feature live, legal sports betting markets, with three additional legal markets awaiting launch, according to the Washington, D.C.-based American Gaming Association. Here are some numbers:
- 18.2 million American adults will place traditional sports wagers online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie, up 78 percent from 2021.
- 18.5 million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, up 23 percent from 2021.
- 76 percent say it is important for themselves personally to bet through a legal operator, up 11 percent from 2021.
- 55 percent of bettors plan to wager on the Los Angeles Rams compared to 45 percent on the Cincinnati Bengals.
- 45 million more Americans can legally wager in their home state compared to Super Bowl LV with Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming launching legal sports betting markets since last year’s big game.