Gambling trade group predicts 31.5M Americans will bet on Super Bowl

The American Gaming Association this week predicted that nearly 31.5 million Americans would place bets on the Super Bowl.

According to estimates the group released on Tuesday, around $7.6 billion will go toward wagers on the NFL’s championship game on Sunday, The Associated Press reported.

The group reports that new records have been set with the number of people that have wagered as well as the amount of money being bet. The number of people planning to cast a bet in this year’s Super Bowl is up 35 percent from last year, and the amount of money being wagered is up by 78 percent from last year, the news outlet reported.

“Americans have never been more interested in legal sports wagering,” said Bill Miller, the group’s president and CEO, told the AP. “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.”

According to the American Gaming Association’s predictions, nearly 18.2 million American adults will place traditional sports wagers online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie. And 18.5 million American adults are expected to place casual bets with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, the AP noted.

The association did note that there is some overlap in those groups, the AP reported.

The group also found that 76 percent of American adults agree that it is important for them to bet through a legal operator.

During the Sunday evening game, when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals, a total of 30 states and Washington, D.C., will offer legal gambling. An additional 45 million people will be able to bet on the Super Bowl this year because sports betting has become legal in their states, according to AP.

Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming all legalized sports betting this year.

The American Gaming Association reportedly predicted that nearly 55 percent of bettors plan to bet on the Rams and about 45 percent are supporting the Bengals. FanDuel, which provides odds for the AP, says about 59 percent of bets are in favor of Cincinnati.