It was a record-breaking year for BetMGM – but the news wasn't all good for the globally renowned sportsbook.
Aside from a weekend bloodbath in mid-Ocotber, BetMGM saw records shattered across several sports and events, the sportsbook announced Monday in its 2024 year in review release. Among the marks established this past year:
- Super Bowl LVIII was the most-bet Super Bowl in BetMGM history
- The Iowa-South Carolina NCAA Women's National Championship game on April 7 was the most-bet NCAA women's hoops game of all-time
- The Indiana Fever-Dallas Wings game on July 17 was the most-bet WNBA game, while the 2024 WNBA campaign was easily the most-bet in history
- The 2024 World Series – where the Los Angeles Dodgers outclassed the New York Yankees – was the most-bet MLB championship
- Jake Paul-Mike Tyson was the most-bet combat sports (MMA + Boxing) event ever
All of the data in this review is for games played up until Friday, December 20.
"Enthusiasm from bettors and new markets led to a record-breaking year at BetMGM – one we will not forget," Don Forbes, BetMGM's Senior Director of Sports Trading, said in a statement.
"The NFL is still king, but star athletes like Jake Paul and Caitlin Clark captured the attention of fans and bettors in 2024."
Here's a look at the 10 most-bet events of 2024 at BetMGM:
Top 10 Events By Tickets
| Rank | Matchup | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Super Bowl LVIII | Feb. 11 |
| 2 | Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers | NFC Championship | Jan. 28 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens | AFC Championship | Jan. 28 |
| 4 | Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs | Week 1 Thursday Night Football | Sept. 5 |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions | Week 14 Thursday Night Football | Dec. 5 |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills | AFC Divisional | Jan. 21 |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills at New York Jets | Week 6 Monday Night Football | Oct. 14 |
| 8 | New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers | Week 1 Monday Night Football | Sept. 9 |
| 9 | New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs | Week 5 Monday Night Football | Oct. 7 |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions | NFC Divisional | Jan. 21 |
Top 10 Events By Handle
| Rank | Matchup | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Super Bowl LVIII | Feb. 11 |
| 2 | Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers | NFC Championship | Jan. 28 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens | AFC Championship | Jan. 28 |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys | NFC Wildcard | Jan. 14 |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills | AFC Divisional | Jan. 21 |
| 6 | Washington Huskies vs. Michigan Wolverines | CFP Championship | Jan. 8 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions | NFC Wildcard | Jan. 14 |
| 8 | Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers | NFC Divisional | Jan. 20 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs | Week 1 Thursday Night Football | Sept. 5 |
| 10 | Detroit Lions at Houston Texans | Week 10: Sunday Night Football | Nov. 10 |
When BetMGM says the NFL is king, it means it.
All but one of the events on both the top 10 tickets and handle lists are NFL matchups, led predictably by Super Bowl LVIII and the two conference championship games. The opening game of the 2024 NFL season appearing on both lists isn't much of a surprise, either, while more postseason games saw a bigger share of the handle than the ticket percentages as big bettors loaded up late in the season.
Week 6 was a bloodbath for the books
It only takes one wonky week to send shockwaves through the sports betting community – and Week 6 was an absolute doozy.
The October 13-14 stretch of the NFL schedule produced six of the top 10 single-game results for the public for the entire year, according to BetMGM – and the gaming giant wasn't the only sports betting site to feel the crush. Currently, U.S. sportsbooks have climbed a mediocre hold rate of 7.5% for the month of October (2.2% lower than last October and 3.7% behind September's rate) – and that Week 6 result has played by far the biggest role in the depressed numbers.
We have all the gory details here, as multiple sportsbook spokespeople bemoaned favorite after favorite coming through in Week 6.
Caitlin Clark carried WNBA betting – but she wasn't alone
The sports world anticipated big things ahead of Clark's maiden WNBA season – and she exceeded those expectations by every account imaginable.
The league saw a popularity boon the likes of which it had never experienced before, shattering attendance and viewership records. And that explosive growth extended to the sports betting realm, with BetMGM taking in considerably more wagers and handle than for any other WNBA season in history.
Interestingly, while Clark and the Indiana Fever did register the top two most-bet games at BetMGM in terms of overall tickets, it only appears on the list one other time (ranking 10th for its May 20 game vs. visiting Connecticut). Seven of the 10 most-bet WNBA games by tickets were playoff matchups, while eight of the top 10 that generated the most handle were postseason games.
The final game of the season – the New York Liberty title-clinching 67-62 win over the Minnesota Lynx – ranked third in tickets and fifth in handle for the year among WNBA games.
Jake Paul-Mike Tyson was no joke to the books
Regardless of how you felt about the outcome, or the entire fight itself, November's showdown between Paul and Tyson was a ratings and sportsbook bonanza.
The fight easily topped the list of combat sports wagering activity, bringing in the most tickets and handle. All but one of the remaining fights on the top 10 list for tickets was on a major UFC card, while every fight other than Paul-Tyson on the top handle list was a UFC bout.
The biggest UFC fights of the year: Merab Dvalishvili-Sean O'Malley from UFC 306 (second in tickets, second in handle), Alex Pereira-Jamahal Hill from UFC 300 (fourth in tickets, fourth in handle) and Sean O'Malley-Marlon Vera from UFC 299 (third in tickets, sixth in handle).
Top of the props: Ohtani leads the way
Here's a breakdown of the most-best players of 2024 in terms of both prop tickets and overall handle:
Most Bet Players of 2024 by Tickets
| Rank | Player | League | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | MLB | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 2 | Aaron Judge | MLB | New York Yankees |
| 3 | Derrick Henry | NFL | Titans/Ravens |
| 4 | Saquon Barkley | NFL | Giants/Eagles |
| 5 | Juan Soto | MLB | New York Yankees |
| 6 | Luka Doncic | NBA | Dallas Mavericks |
| 7 | Travis Kelce | NFL | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 8 | Josh Allen | NFL | Buffalo Bills |
| 9 | CeeDee Lamb | NFL | Dallas Cowboys |
| 10 | David Montgomery | NFL | Detroit Lions |
Most Bet Players of 2024 by Tickets
| Rank | Player | League | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luka Doncic | NBA | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani | MLB | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 3 | Travis Kelce | NFL | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 4 | Josh Allen | NFL | Buffalo Bills |
| 5 | Aaron Judge | MLB | New York Yankees |
| 6 | Jayson Tatum | NBA | Boston Celtics |
| 7 | Nikola Jokic | NBA | Denver Nuggets |
| 8 | Derrick Henry | MLB | Titans/Ravens |
| 9 | Saquon Barkley | NFL | Giants/Eagles |
| 10 | CeeDee Lamb | NFL | Dallas Cowboys |
As always, this list is a who's-who of sports superstars, led by Ohtani, who ranked top-two on both lists.
Eight athletes are featured in both top 10s, with Juan Soto (eighth in props tickets), David Montgomery (10th in props tickets), Jayson Tatum (sixth in props handle) and Nikola Jokic (seventh in props handle) making one appearance each.
