A prediction made by the American Gaming Association (AGA) has outlined a record number of Americans likely to wager on the upcoming American football championship game of the National Football League for the 2022 NFL season.
The event will take place on February 12 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, when the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will be disputing the mouth-watering title in front of a massive audience.
Two in 10 American Adults to Place at Least One Bet
According to data collected from a nationwide sample that counted 2,199 adults, 20% of the Americans who are of the right age for gambling have expressed their intention to make at least one wager on the heated game.
The percentage represents more than 50.4 million Americans, marking a massive 61% increase compared to last year’s record number of bettors.
The AGA also expects the amount that will be wagered by these players to more than double compared to last year’s event, reaching the $16 billion mark. The figure will be 66% higher compared to the 2022 statistics.
The rest of the bettors (28 million) have expressed their intention to place casual bets with their friends or to join a pool or squares contest. This figure represented a 50% increase on a year-on-year basis.
As for their betting preferences, according to the pre-game survey, 44% of bettors expressed their plans to wager on Chiefs. The same percentage of bettors is expected to bet on a win from the Eagles.
NFL, More Interesting to Watch Since the Legalization of Sports Bets
The association explained that the legalization of sports betting in 33 US states and Washington DC have significantly influenced the rise in interest in the NFL.
According to the same data, 34% of sports fans stated the expansion of legal sports bets has turned watching NFL into a more interesting activity.
As a consequence of the continuously increasing interest in legalized sports wagers, AGA’s chief executive officer CEO Bill Miller explained the industry will stay committed to “responsibly delivering world-class entertainment, educating consumers about how to bet responsibly, and combating illegal gambling”.
Miller also acknowledged that the yearly Super Bowl is an excellent event that emphasizes the perks of legal betting on sports.
Among them is the way bettors are protected by regulated markets, the enhanced engagement recorded by sports media and leagues, and the extra tax revenue that reached state budgets.
Even more, the AGA has shown that over 70% of traditional Super Bowl bettors acknowledged seeing a campaign promoting safe betting in the past year.
Prop betting is also expected to turn into a popular wagering option during the upcoming championship that will be held at a stadium equipped with a sportsbook for the first time in history.