Caesar

• A record 67.8 million American adults are expected to bet US$23.1 billion on Super Bowl LVIII, according to a new survey conducted by Morning Consult for the American Gaming Association.
• The estimated number of bettors has increased 35% from the previous Super Bowl, while the total amount being bet is estimated to have shot up from $16 billion in 2023.
• Both figures would represent records – fitting for a Super Bowl held in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the U.S. For the NFL, partnering with sportsbooks has been a boon for business.

Staunch opposition

• The NFL’s leadership, however, remained adamantly opposed to its broadcasting partners explicitly encouraging gambling.
• So Snyder communicated the lines by predicting the final score, thereby allowing careful listeners to learn a point spread.
• The routine lasted until 1988, when Snyder suggested that slavery had made Black players better athletes.
• We have to make it clear to the athletes, the fans and the public, gambling is not a part of sport, period.” The measure passed.

More money, more problems?

• Since then, more than 30 states have legalized sports gambling.
• In 2021, the league announced seven companies, including BetMGM, Draft Kings and Caesars, as the league’s official gambling partners.

• Even casual fans can’t miss the surge in gambling advertisements that now air during the games, all of which buttress the value of media rights.
• Meanwhile, the NFL’s official sportsbook partners will fork over more than $1 billion to the league over the course of the five-year contract.
• Gambling addictions are at an all-time high, likely spurred by the ease with which people can place bets from their phones.

Thomas Oates does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.