Betting experts predict that the NFL showpiece could attract over $500 million in wagers.
The 55th Super Bowl will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Kansas City Chiefs in the first ever Super Bowl game played in a home stadium.
It’s one of the most anticipated Super Bowls in modern history with Tom Brady set to face off against up-and-coming superstar Patrick Mahomes.
And according to some predictions this season’s big finale could see fans place wagers totaling as much as $500 million. That’s a massive increase on the estimated $300 million in bets placed on Super Bowl LIV which saw the Kansas City Chiefs stun the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in February of 2020.
The recent wave of sports betting legislation pushed through in various states in the USA means that there are now 21 jurisdictions where fans can legally bet on the game.
Dustin Gouker an industry analyst said in a press release:
“With the expansion of legal sports betting over the last year, both in terms of new markets and growth within existing markets, a historic weekend is inevitable.”
Speaking of the projections that would make Super Bowl LV the most wagered-on single sports event in history, Eric Ramsey, analyst for PlayUSA said:
“The potential this year is enormous compared to last year, with legal sports betting available to 50 million more people than last year’s Super Bowl. The U.S. market has changed so much over the last year. Not only has it nearly doubled in size, but bettors now make a higher percentage of their bets online compared with a year ago. And sportsbooks will utilize the Super Bowl to aggressively promote themselves to new customers, especially in fledgling markets like Michigan and Virginia.”
Although those states with new sports betting markets will likely be incredibly busy, it’s hardly surprising that Nevada looks set to take in the most in wagers. Projections estimate that the Silver State alone will see $125 million in Super Bowl bets.
As for the game itself, the general consensus among bookmakers is that Mahomes’ Chiefs will be too strong for Brady’s Bucs with many sportsbooks placing the Chiefs as 3-point favorites.
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.