Super Bowl makes case for online betting
The Super Bowl is here, and it’s going to singlehandedly prove to the world exactly how much legalized sports betting is needed. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening this year – outside of Las Vegas, anyway.
If you’ll remember, a few months ago we discussed Chris Christie and his quest to get sports betting legalized in New Jersey. He fast tracked the bill, but the big sports leagues quickly shut it down, stating that it’d cause too many issues with their games. Not long after, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver offered his assistance to Christie, saying that if they could work on getting together and setting up framework and regulations, it could be a legitimate issue. Christie wanted no part, however, and wanted to do things on his own.
Fast forward to now. The Super Bowl looms, and it’s a huge one – the New England Patriots vs. the Seattle Seahawks. After the “deflategate” involving the New England Patriots, attention and excitement is at an all time high. Everyone’s choosing sides, but the only problem is, no one’s doing so financially.. or are they?
Last year in Las Vegas, and this is Las Vegas alone, the Super Bowl managed to bring in $119 million in bets. Keep in mind that this is $119 million for one game. The previous year, the Super Bowl netted $98.9 million.
Isn’t this the sort of demand that’s worth paying attention to?
Think about it for a second. Assuming the trend continues, the Super Bowl could, hypothetically, earn more than $130 million in Las Vegas this year. Can you imagine how much it’d actually earn in states like Washington or Massachusetts? Even better, can you imagine the number of betters, both new and old, as well as the no deposit bonuses that sites would run? The numbers alone are almost incalculable .
So then, why, with all of this information in front of us, are we still getting up in arms about this issue? There’s a clear demand for online sports betting, and it’s been proven time and time again in Las Vegas that it’s a huge draw. What’s the hold up?
The large sports leagues have to be kicking themselves. If any situation is a perfect argument for legalized online sports betting, this is it. The underdogs, the Seahawks, are going up against the Patriots. The Seahawks have one Super Bowl championship, the Patriots have three. The Patriots are still reeling from their scandal, and Tom Brady appears to be sick.
Once the figures are in from Las Vegas, we fully expect to see a renewed push to legalize online sports betting. When you add up every individual game throughout the NFL season, as well as the Super Bowl, the figures make a solid argument that any lawmaking official would like to see – one full of large numbers.