The Importance of the Super Bowl to US Gambling Operators

Super Bowl LIX takes place on February 9 and of course it’s the biggest American Football match on the planet. It’s a highly significant match for the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles but also for US gambling operators such as BetMGM and Bet365.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the favorites to create history by winning a third successive Super Bowl. That would be great news for them and their fans but is unlikely to raise many smiles at betting companies.

Although they take huge amounts of bets from an event like the Super Bowl, they aren’t at all pleased when the team they have as favorites goes on to win. That was evidenced in New York last year when BetMGM actually made a loss after the Chiefs beat the 49ers.

Just like it is for the actual gamblers, no betting operator can guarantee making a profit on an event. With a large percentage of bettors tipping the Kansas City Chiefs to win last year’s Super Bowl (despite being the slight outsiders), that was bad news for sports gambling companies.

While bets on who would win the Super Bowl didn’t produce great results for BetMGM and bet365, it wasn’t all bad news. Bet365’s Trading Lead Aron Wattleworth said that the Super Bowl produced “plenty of winning bets for our customers” but parlay and prop bets didn’t fare so well and “the low-scoring nature of the game meant it wasn’t the hammering that we feared.”

The fact that players such as Travis Kelce, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk failed to score touchdowns was great news for bet365 making it their most successful market on the game. That also meant that the Bet Builders that the company offered didn’t produce damaging results for the company.

While the result of the Super Bowl wasn’t the best for both BetMGM and bet365, the NFL remains important to both companies. That’s understandable as it’s estimated that 70% of their handle comes from bets placed on the NFL.

The Super Bowl is such an important event for all betting companies. They put so much effort into this time of the year. It is a perfect opportunity to spread awareness of your brand and attract new site members. That’s very important in what is a hugely competitive market.

It’s estimated that over $1.5 billion of legal bets will be placed on Super Bowl LIX. With nearly 225 million people in America able to legally bet on the match, it is a huge occasion for sportsbooks such as bet365 and BetMGM. The fact that this match is estimated to contribute between 0.75% and 1.25% of yearly handle illustrates its importance.

BetMGM is the third most successful US betting operator behind FanDuel and DraftKings who dominate the market. 2024 saw them achieve revenue of $70.7 million in the state of New Jersey,  one of the leading gambling areas in the US. Bet365 NJ, according to NJbet also operates in that state and had 2024 revenue of $43.8 million thanks to their sportsbook offers and favorable odds. They and betMGM wil hope for a successful Super Bowl to further boost their figuresrs.

It’s not just the result of the Super Bowl that concerns betting companies. The event is an excellent chance to promote your company. Look out for all the offers that companies such as BetMGM and bet365 will be making for the Super Bowl.

Welcome offers are used to attract new customers. Then there’s special offers on the match itself and a wide variety of betting markets. This can help ensure their customers place bets aplenty with them on the Super Bowl and not head over to the opposition.

One way in which this can be achieved is to produce a commercial and BetMGM certainly put a lot of effort into that last year.

The commercial was shown during the Super Bowl itself so it was guaranteed a massive audience. All the stops were pulled out by BetMGM as their commercial included appearances by Super Bowl great Tom Brady, NHL legend and BetMGM ambassador Wayne Gretzky and the film star Vince Vaughn.

It showcased Las Vegas which isn’t just considered by BetMGM to be their home but also staged last year’s Super Bowl.

Vaughn is seen recommending everyone to join BetMGM except for Brady who is told: The truth is, you’ve won too much Tommy. Let others have their turn.”

The lead-up to Super Bowl LIX and the event itself is going to be an exciting time for both bet365 and BetMGM. They will do all they can to increase awareness of their products, attract new custom and present offers to their site members that will boost the number of bets made on the event.

Just how high a hold that will achieve for the match itself remains to be seen, a Philadelphia Eagles win might be extremely appreciated.