Much to the dismay of Philadelphia Eagles fans, their team isn’t in the Super Bowl this year. However, it shouldn’t stop Pennsylvanians from wagering on the big game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Legal Sports Report (LSR) lead writer Eric Ramsey is projecting the Keystone State to produce $85 million in total bets on Sunday. It would match last year’s handle between the Eagles and Chiefs.
There are tons of storylines in the big game, including Reading native Taylor Swift, who is certainly impacting Super Bowl betting in Pennsylvania.
Sportsbook handle expected to match last year’s Super Bowl
Last season, PlayPennsylvania projected the state to easily cross $65 million in handle, and expected north of $80 million once the Eagles represented the NFC in the Super Bowl.
We were right on the button, as sportsbooks produced $84.3 million in total bets, a 24% increase from the previous year.
Even with the Eagles not participating in the big game on Sunday, LSR and Ramsey are not expecting a drop-off in handle. Ramsey predicts sportsbooks will generate $85.2 million.
He said in his projections story:
“Growth in Pennsylvania over the past 12 months is mitigated by the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles failed to make it to the Super Bowl this time. The forecast for this year’s game is essentially flat from 2023’s number.”
In what many considered to be a mature market, PA online sportsbooks generated record-breaking handle during football season. Operators posted the following totals:
- September: $726.3 million
- October: $829 million
- November: $934.1 million
- December: $925.6 million
The Keystone State broke records in October and November, along with recording $900 million in handle in consecutive months for the first time ever.
The sports betting market is continuing to grow in Pennsylvania, which is why the state isn’t expecting a dip from last year. Just imagine if the Eagles make it back to the Super Bowl next year.
Taylor Swift affecting PA Super Bowl betting
Taylor Swift, a PA native, is the biggest pop star in the world. Her relationship with Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, is impacting the Pennsylvania betting market.
Anthony Zrelak, General Manager of FanDuel Sportsbook and Lounge at Live! Casino Pittsburgh, told PlayPennsylvania earlier this week the impact Swift is undoubtedly having:
“What we’ve heard for the past eight, nine days is, ‘I want to bet on the Chiefs. I want to root for Taylor. I want Taylor’s team to win.’ We’ve seen such a heavy presence with the Chiefs love and the Taylor love.”
At the time of the interview, Zrelak told PlayPennsylvania that 90% of the tickets were on the Chiefs.
There’s a ton of love for the Chiefs on online sportsbooks, too. In the 25 states DraftKings operates in, the Chiefs are getting at least 54% of the handle in every one except New Jersey. DraftKings Sportsbook PA is reporting 65% of the handle and 63% of the bets on the Chiefs.
National perspective on Super Bowl LVIII betting
LSR is projecting Americans to wager $1.29 billion across 39 regulated markets for this year’s Super Bowl. It would set an all-time high, which would top 2023’s total of $1.08 billion.
Having the Super Bowl in Las Vegas for the first time certainly helps the cause. Unsurprisingly, Nevada is expected to take in around $170 million in total bets. Here are the next largest markets:
- New York: $139 million
- New Jersey: $114 million
- Florida: $90 million
- Ohio: $88.4 million
- Pennsylvania: $85.2 million
- Illinois: $82.3 million
With Florida legalizing sports betting in November 2023, it knocked Pennsylvania out of out of the top five markets, in terms of handle. In spite of that, the Keystone State remains a marquee jurisdiction for sports betting, as evidence showed during the football season.
Should the Eagles ever make it back to a Super Bowl, especially next year, Pennsylvania could move back into the top five.
