(Reuters) – A record 50.4 million American adults, or about 20% of the population, are expected to bet $16 billion on Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the American Gaming Association said on Tuesday.
The number of American adults planning to bet on the NFL’s title game is up 61% from a survey conducted last year by the trade group representing the U.S. casino industry, while the value of wagers is more than double last year’s estimates.
With the expansion of legal sports betting the AGA said traditional bets made online, through a sportsbook or bookie for the Super Bowl – the biggest U.S. TV event of the year – are expected to pass casual wagers for the first time.
Helping to drive the numbers is the expansion of legal sports betting in the United States where the AGA said live, legal sports betting markets are available in 33 states and Washington D.C.
This year’s Super Bowl will be played in Glendale, Arizona, which will mark the first time the championship game is being hosted in a state where sports gambling is legal.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
