On the sports betting calendar, the Super Bowl is Christmas Day. Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals is a holiday for gamblers with more expected to wager on the contest than ever before.

It’s unknown exactly how many people will bet on the Super Bowl, but a record 31.4 million American adults plan to do so, according to research from the American Gaming Association. That would mark a 35% increase from last year’s Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.

There’s expected to be an even bigger increase in the amount of money bet on the Super Bowl. An estimated $7.61 billion will be bet on Sunday’s NFL game, according to the AGA.

It’s estimated that 18% of people who watch the Super Bowl will have a bet on the game. Close to 13 million people plan to place a Super Bowl bet online, the AGA says.

“The results are clear: Americans have never been more interested in legal sports wagering,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “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.”

The growing number of Americans who can legally bet on sports is responsible for most of the increase in dollars wagered. Sports betting is legal in 30 states and Washington, D.C.

Only 20 states permitted legal sports betting a year ago.

The influx of live betting in 10 more states over the last 12 months allows an additional 45 million Americans to bet on the Super Bowl.

New York should be responsible for a large portion of the legal bets made on the Super Bowl. Mobile sports betting went live in the state on Jan. 8. In just 23 days, New York set a record with $1.6 billion wagered on sports in a single month.

There are numerous ways to bet on the Super Bowl. In addition to picking the outright winner or the team that will cover the spread, bettors can wager on the Super Bowl MVP award and countless other prop bets.

The majority of bettors expect the Rams to win the Super Bowl, while 45% of bettors are picking the Bengals to pull off the upset for the NFL championship.

Westgate Las Vegas Sportsbook
Betting lines are displayed at the Race & Sports SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which features new screens on its entire 240-by-20 foot, 4,488-square-foot HD video layout, after the property opened for the first time since being closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on June 18, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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