The first weekend of the XFL featured an f-bomb during a televised interview, a streaker, and players shotgunning hard seltzer post-game. The on-field play was about what you would expect from former NFL practice squad players.
But it is football. The weekend after the Super Bowl used to be a sad time. Now, the XFL attempts to fill a huge void and they do so by fully embracing sports betting. Spreads and point totals are on the screen throughout the game. And there are many former PA football players throughout the league.
Let the XFL betting begin
Currently, only six states including Pennsylvania authorize wagering on XFL games. The largest bets for the XFL at DraftKings came from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. During Week 1 of the XFL season, sportsbooks experienced a definite interest in the new league.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, there was an increase in XFL betting action from Saturday to Sunday. Handle jumped 55% and bet count grew 31%.
FanDuel’s Director of Publicity Kevin Hennessy said:
“We saw betting momentum build for the XFL as the weekend progressed and we also saw great momentum from a fantasy perspective. It was a great showing by the XFL in Week 1 and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for Week 2.”
XFL at FanDuel online sportsbook
Week 1 XFL games ranked in order of handle at FanDuel:
- Tampa Bay Vipers vs. New York Guardians
- St. Louis BattleHawks vs. Dallas Renegades
- Seattle Dragons vs. DC Defenders
- Los Angeles Wildcats vs. Houston Roughnecks
Week 1 most bet to least bet XFL games at FanDuel:
- St. Louis BattleHawks vs. Dallas Renegades
- Tampa Bay Vipers vs. New York Guardians
- Seattle Dragons vs. DC Defenders
- Los Angeles Wildcats vs. Houston Roughnecks
XFL at DraftKings online sportsbook
The most bet and largest handle teams at DraftKings:
- New York Guardians
- Dallas Renegades
- Tampa Bay Vipers
- DC Defenders
- St. Louis BattleHawks
- Houston Roughnecks
- Los Angeles Wildcats
- Seattle Dragons
How XFL betting figures compare
It isn’t fair to compare betting figures of the XFL to the NFL. Instead, a fair comparison is probably NFL preseason games and the now-defunct AAF.
Not counting open parlays, in New Jersey, FanDuel did twenty times the handle on the first XFL game versus the first AAF game last year.
DraftKings had an identical 20x boost in handle and 16 times more bets on the the first XFL game compared to the AAF’s opener.
How did the first week of the XFL compare to NFL preseason action? Both of Saturday’s games did more than 1.4 times the handle of the 2019 Hall of Fame preseason game between the Broncos and the Falcons.
However, both Saturday’s games still can’t touch the interest of an NFL regular season game. The pair of XFL games only did about 10% of the handle of the first 2019 NFL regular season game on Sept. 5 between the Packers and the Bears at DraftKings.
What’s next for the XFL?
What’s next for the XFL besides Week 2?
DraftKings Sportsbook Director of Operations Johnny Avello hopes for good things:
“While it’s tough to predict anything, if this weekend’s XFL engagement rate among DraftKings users is indicative of what we can expect moving forward, we are in for an exciting season! The XFL has come in with a good product and strong backing, with differing rules for a faster game of football. With the NFL season having just concluded, bettors can still get their football fix on DraftKings.”
We will soon see if the XFL can build on the momentum of a promising week 1, or if the intrigue will fizzle out as more betting opportunities arise in the coming weeks. For now, the top PA online betting apps have you covered for XFL action to satisfy your football betting cravings.
