Super Bowl LVII Betting Expected to Produce Another Record Betting Handle

Last year, the American Gaming Association estimated that nearly $8 billion would be bet on the Super Bowl. This year, that total could surpass $10 billion.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles head into what should be an ultra-competitive Super Bowl LVII as the top seeds from their respective conferences. More importantly—for sportsbooks, at least—Philadelphia’s home state of Pennsylvania has legal sports betting, while nearby Kansas also accepts legal wagers.

Super Bowl betting totals have been growing at an exponential rate since the market fully opened in 2018. With less than a week until the big game, gambling agencies are on the brink of another major win.

The growth of sports betting has been fueled by a few key aspects. 

First, the expansion of legalization. 36 states (plus Washington D.C.) have legal sports betting markets at the time of writing, 33 of which are operational. Legislation is making its rounds in the state government in several other key states such as Texas as well.

Sports betting has also grown because of its growing entrenchment in sports themselves. Teams, stadiums, broadcasting companies, players, and other entities are forging partnerships with betting companies to further their visibility and attractiveness. Fans can even see live betting odds during game telecasts or on halftime shows.

Finally, the online allure. High-paying tickets from celebrities like Drake and known high-roller “Mattress Mack,” as well as crazy low-stake parlays, have helped many believe they can be the next millionaire with the push of a button.

Whatever the reason this weekend, Super Bowl LVII should produce an eye-watering gambling handle. Kansas, Maryland, and Ohio have joined the list of states with legal sports betting outlets championship since last year’s title game was played, adding three crucial markets to the fray.

Kansas’ proximity to the Chiefs, who are stationed in Kansas City, Missouri, less than five miles from the Kansas border, makes it an obvious choice as the greatest benefactor of the impending Super Bowl matchup. 

Both Maryland and Ohio, however, have proven to be major players in the market. Maryland came within spitting distance of a $500m betting handle in December, its first full month with mobile sports betting, while Ohio registered over 11 million unique geolocations for bettors in its first weekend with sports betting at the start of January.

The game itself features, if the records are to be believed, the two best teams in the league.

The Eagles have only lost one game with quarterback Jalen Hurts under center thus far. There were concerns that a late-season injury he suffered was hampering his play, but he is 3-0 since his return and has two weeks between the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl to further recover.

On the other side of the field, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the divisional round against the Jacksonville Jaguars, three weeks before the Super Bowl kick-off. His mobility was severely affected for the rest of the game, and he was noticeably uncomfortable in the AFC Championship, but he still turned in two incredible performances in both. 

The Eagles and Chiefs have not played one another since Week 4 of last season. The Chiefs ended that encounter on top 42-30 behind 278 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception from Mahomes.

Philly’s defensive complexion has changed drastically since then. They ended the year ranked number-one against the pass and with 70 sacks, 15 more than the next-closest team. 

The game opened as a pick’em but was swiftly bet to Eagles -1.5, which is where it has remained since. Hurts is the odds-on favorite to win MVP, and Mahomes is second.

Philly has not been to or won a Super Bowl since 2018 when backup Nick Foles led a shocking 41-33 upset over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Kansas City last made the Super Bowl in 2021, when it lost 31-9 to Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 the year prior.