Sportsbooks across the nation expect about 26 million people to place bets on Super Bowl LIV, in which the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Miami.
All told, Americans are expected to wager close to $7 billion at the Feb. 2 Super Bowl, 5 million of whom will likely do so online or via mobile sportsbooks with legal operators or illegal offshore companies, according to an American Gaming Association report issued in conjunction with market research company Morning Consult.
– DEPOSIT PHOTOS
According to the AGA, separating legal and illegal sites is tricky because “many Americans don’t know whether they’re betting using an illegal or legal site,” and much of the data in the report is self-reported.
Last year, patrons bet nearly $35 million at the state’s Atlantic City sportbooks and two racetracks. The bettors won about $39.4 million — $4.5 million loss for the entities taking the wagers, according to the Division of Gaming Enforcement, which regulates the state’s gambling industry.
This year, at least eight of the state’s in-person sportsbooks at Atlantic City are expected to offer a variety of entertainment options for patrons looking to bet on the Super Bowl, according to the Casino Association of New Jersey.
They include Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino; Borgata Hotel and Casino Atlantic City; Golden Nugget; Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City; Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City; Ocean Resort Casino which has a sportsbook with London-based bookmaker William Hill; Resorts Casino Hotel which has a sportsbook with online gaming company DraftKings; and Tropicana Atlantic City, according to the CANJ.
“Atlantic City casinos are the perfect place to enjoy the Big Game while experiencing all our seaside resort destination has to offer,” CANJ President Steven Callender said in a Jan. 28 statement.
In total, New Jersey has 10 in-person and nine online and mobile sportsbooks, which have brought in the lion’s share of sports wagers. Of the $4.6 billion patrons bet in 2019 on sports, $3.8 billion of that was via the internet.
“Online and mobile sportsbooks are a key tool in driving in-game and prop betting, giving states with a robust digital presence a significant advantage,” PlayUsa.com analyst Dustin Gouker said in a Jan. 28 report. “In New Jersey, nearly 88 percent of all bets were made online in December. And that allows operators to attract bettors with prop bets and keep them engaged with in-game betting.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6:36 a.m. EST, Feb. 3, 2020. A previous version of this story indicated that 26 million across New Jersey were expected to place bests at sportsbooks for Super Bowl LIV; it is 26 million across the nation.
