According to the estimation published by the national trade groups on gambling industry on Tuesday, over 31.5 million Americans are planning to bet on the Super Bowl this year.
An increase in the number of bettors
The American Gaming Association predicts that at least $7.6 billion will be staked on the professional football championship tournament that is scheduled for Sunday.
They said that both the number of people thinking about betting which is 35% from the previous year and the total number of money that will be spent for a bet which is 78% from last year are updated records.
Gamblers include individuals making casual bets with friends or family members, entries into office pools, bets placed on legitimate bookmakers like tbsbet, and bets placed on illegal sportsbooks.
According to Bill Miller, the head and CEO of the trading group, he said “Americans are very interested in legal sports betting. The increasing amount of legal betting options throughout the country not only protects the gamblers and the security of bets, but also puts the illegal operators under pressure that their time is about to end.”
Expecting new records
Upon the beginning of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals at the Rams home stadium on Sunday evening, the 30 American states and Washington D.C. will provide legal gambling.
Since the game last year, at least 45 million extra people will now be able to bet on the Super Bowl due to the legalization of sports betting in their states from the previous year. Among these are the states of Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Maryland, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.
With the legalization of sports betting in many states, the association has many predictions.
At least 18.2 million US residents will now place their bets online, whether it is at an online bookmaker or in a traditional retail sportsbook, with a rise of 78% from last year.
Over 18.5 million people are planning to make casual bets with their friends or as a part of a betting syndicate, with an increase of 23% from 2021.
It could lead to more gambling addictions
According to some experts, the Super Bowl season is also one of the dangerous times of the year for individuals having a gambling addiction.
An officer from the group Stop Predatory Gambling named Harry Levant is also a public health promoter from Philadelphia and a recovering gambling addict. According to him, the ongoing rise of sports betting marketing on social media, and endless promotions to attract people to bet, is similar to the tobacco industry’s campaign to get individuals to smoke in the past as it is still being done today.
Levant also said that the legalization of sports betting can increase the public health crisis in the United States that involves gambling problems.
“In every two person struggling with gambling addiction, one of them is contemplating suicide. Also, in every five person with a gambling problem, one of them attempts to commit suicide, and I was one of them,” he said.
Levant also pointed out that the fast rise of live betting adds into the gamblers compulsive desire to have much better and faster options to bet.
“Nowadays, gambling is not limited to who is going to win the game anymore. Sports betting is now available to every outcome of the game to keep them betting, to keep them chasing winnings,” he added.
Conclusion
The legalization of sports betting in more states in America is opening up many opportunities that never existed before but there is also an increase in public health crisis. It is also suggested that if there is a state fund being spent for strengthening the betting industry, there must also be a fund for gambling addiction rehabilitation efforts.
