AGA: 31.4 million Americans to bet on Super Bowl LVI this weekend
Showpiece event betting up 35% year on year as 45 million Americans gain access to legal sportsbooks since 2021
US sports bettors will place more than $7.61bn in bets on Super Bowl LVI, up 78% year on year, according to latest data from the American Gaming Association (AGA).
A survey commissioned by the AGA and carried out by Morning Consult revealed a record 31.4 million Americans indicated they would bet on the NFL’s showpiece event.
Morning Consult conducted the online survey on behalf of the AGA between February 1-2, 2022, using a sample of 2,212 adult nationals.
The data was weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and region.
18.2 million Americans will place traditional sports bets via an online site, at a retail sportsbook or a bookie, up 78% from a year prior.
Breaking this figure down, 12.9 million said they would place a bet online, up 70% year on year, with 4.7 million suggesting they would place a bet in person at a sportsbook, a figure up 231% from 2021.
In terms of the split between survey respondents, 55% said they would bet on the Los Angeles Rams, compared to 45% who indicated they would bet on the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Northeast has the highest expected betting participation (16%), followed by the West (15%), the Midwest (10%), and the South (10%). While legal sports betting is not available in either California or Ohio, more Rams fans (26%) than Bengals fans (22%) said they plan to bet on the game.
AGA president and CEO Bill Miller welcomed the survey data as indication that Americans have “never been more interested” in sports betting.
“The growth of legal options across the country not only protects fans and the integrity of games and bets, but also puts illegal operators on notice that their time is limited,” Miller added.
According to survey data, 18.5 million respondents said they planned to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, a figure up 23% from the same period in 2021.
Seventy-six percent of survey respondents said that it was important to bet through a legal operator, while 106 million (41%) said they recall having seen advertising relating to responsible gambling in the past year.
Thirty states including Washington DC currently feature live markets for sports betting, with three more set to follow in short order.
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 all launching sports betting markets over the last year.