Betting on the Super Bowl will hit historic new heights in 2022, according to the American Gaming Association.
The results of an online survey conducted on behalf of the AGA earlier this month suggest that a record 31.4 million American adults plan to bet on the National Football League’s championship game this year, up 35% from 2021.
Of those bettors, 18.2 million are intending to make “traditional” sports wagers at retail or online sportsbooks, or by using a bookie. That’s up 78% from 2021, the AGA said on Tuesday.
There are also 18.5 million adults planning on making a more casual bet with friends in 2022, such as by slapping down $20 for a Super Bowl squares contest or betting pool. That’s an increase of 23% from a year earlier.
What’s more, bettors are estimated to wager about $7.61 billion on Big Game odds overall this year, a rise of 78% compared to 2021.
“The results are clear: Americans have never been more interested in legal sports wagering,” said Bill Miller, president and chief executive of the AGA, in a press release. “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.”
A legal boom
Indeed, the latest findings from the AGA come as sports betting is now legal in more than 30 states and the District of Columbia. Flush with official options, Americans are increasingly choosing to bet, with the AGA saying the expansion of legal wagering is “expected to lead to significant growth” in traditional play this year.
The findings from the AGA’s online survey, which was conducted by Morning Consult between February 1 and 2 among 2,212 adults, suggests that 12.9 million people plan on making a Super Bowl bet online this year, a 70% jump from 2021. The number of people forecast to place a bet in person at a sportsbook is 4.7 million, up 231% from 2021.
Making those bets at legal Super Bowl betting sites is of increasing importance to gamblers as well. The AGA’s survey suggests that 76% of American adults feel it important to bet with a legit operator, which is up 11 percentage points from 2021.
The AGA’s research also found that Americans are leaning towards betting on the Los Angeles Rams, with 55% expecting to place a wager on them to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
“Few people saw this matchup coming: according to AGA research on betting plans going into the season, just one percent of expected bettors said they would wager on the Bengals to win the Super Bowl and just two percent would have picked the Rams five months ago,” the AGA said.
