Americans love to bet on sports—and this year’s Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals will be no exception. According to new American Gaming Association (AGA) research, a record 34.1 million Americans will wager an estimated $7.61 billion on this year’s big game.
Wagering will be up across all betting methods this year compared to 2021:
- 2 million American adults will place traditional sports wagers (online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie), up 78 percent from 2021.
- 5 million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest, up 23 percent from 2021.
- 9 million plan to place a bet online this year, up 70 percent from 2021.
- 7 million plan to place a bet in person at a sportsbook, up 231 percent from 2021.
Notably, this is the first year that the number of American adults placing traditional sports wagers nearly equals the number of us who will casually bet with friends and colleagues.
This is in large part due to the industry’s expansion: 45 million more American adults have gained access to the legal market since last year’s game. By next year’s Super Bowl, legal sports betting will be available in even more states, giving consumers access to the protections of the regulated market.
As legal sports betting expands, the industry must continue to build on our shared responsibility to promote responsible gaming and build a safe, sustainable market. The AGA is helping lead these efforts through our Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly™ campaign, which is convening sports betting stakeholders—including NFL team partners Washington Commanders and New York Jets—around educating fans on how to bet responsibly.
Importantly, we’re already seeing tangible impacts from the industry’s consumer education efforts thus far:
- 76 percent of Americans planning to bet on Super Bowl LVI say it is important for themselves to bet through a legal operator, up 11 points from 2021.
- 106 million Americans adults (41 percent) recall advertising related to responsible gaming in the past year—an increase of 32 million people (12 percent) from 2020.
The data is clear: Americans want to bet on sports and want to bet on them legally. They deserve safe, regulated betting options and a sports betting industry that puts responsibility first. Let’s give them both.
Find more Super Bowl LVI wagering trends below:
- 18 percent of Super Bowl viewers plan to wager on the game.
- The Northeast has the highest expected betting participation (16 percent), followed by the West (15 percent), Midwest (10 percent) and South (10 percent).
- 55 percent of bettors plan to wager on the Los Angeles Rams compared to 45 percent on the Cincinnati Bengals.
- While legal sports betting is not available in either California or Ohio, more Rams fans (26 percent) than Bengals fans (22 percent) plan to bet on the game.
