Millions of spectators eagerly tuned into the 2023 Super Bowl in Glendale on Sunday night, only to witness a thrilling game as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. As millions of sports fans watched with anticipation, so too did they place their bets – resulting in an impressive turnout throughout the weekend.
Over the weekend, an astonishing 100 million bets were placed according to GeoComply; a company that verifies geographical locations when stakes are made. Anna Sainsbury, co-founder, and Chief Executive Officer of GeoComply commented on the success of live betting at events:
Super Bowl LVII was a record-breaking event. GeoComply data reveals that Americans’ interest in legally betting on the Super Bowl has never been higher. It also showed that many fans at State Farm Stadium embraced their newfound ability to bet while watching the game in person.
More Than 100,000 Transactions
The Super Bowl presented local sports fans with an unprecedented opportunity to bet on the NFL in Arizona. With the first legal bets taking place in the state surrounding State Farm Stadium, over 100,000 transactions ensued in and around the stadium alone. Furthermore, 8,000 new accounts had been created in the Glendale area specifically to indulge in sports betting.
Sportsbooks saw a massive increase of 25% from their previous Super Bowl statistics as FanDuel hit its most impressive peak with 50,000 bets accepted every second and 2 million customers overall during the big game. Sports Betting in Arizona is shaping up to be even more popular than ever before due to positive regulation changes across many U.S. states.
The Majority of Bettors Placed Their Money on the Eagles
Heading into Sunday’s game, the overwhelming majority of bets favored the Philadelphia Eagles. Caesars AZ Sportsbook reported 19 territories where it operates with 17 of them favoring the Eagles to cover a spread of -1.5. Even more impressively, for moneyline bets, 11 other territories besides Arizona chose the Eagles as their pick.
The lone exception to this across-the-board trend was Arizona itself where DraftKings Arizona reported that more people bet on the Kansas City Chiefs rather than the Eagles despite none of the other 18 territories showing a preference for the Chiefs’ spread or moneyline. Despite this local readiness to back an underdog, however, most of America showed little hesitation in selecting the Eagles not only to cover but also to take home top honors as victors on Sunday night.
Sportsbooks Have Already Started To Predict
With the conclusion of the NFL season, many sports fans have already turned their attention to the future. As is always the case after a Super Bowl champion is crowned, sports bettors have begun placing bets for which teams will challenge for next year’s title. Some of the best Arizona sportsbooks have released odds that rank each of the 32 teams in order from most likely to least likely to compete in Super Bowl LVIII come 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off their second consecutive championship, are unsurprisingly given the best odds to come out of the AFC with +600.
In the NFC, oddsmakers peg San Francisco as slightly more likely than Philadelphia at +800 compared to +900 respectively; however, neither team has the same amount of faith vested in them as compared to KC at this point. For some struggling franchises such as Arizona and Houston, Las Vegas gives them relatively slim chances of making it far enough down the road for a Super Bowl shot – both teams sit at +20000 odds. Depending on how these organizations shape up over time, though, things can certainly change by 2024!
