'Massive spike' - record interest in Super Bowl with over a quarter of US adults expected to wager reflects boom in sports betting

The Super Bowl provided a suitably dramatic ending on the field as the Kansas City Chiefs edged out the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, while off it the gambling industry reported record interest.

Before the big game the American Gaming Association claimed a record 67.8 million Americans – or 26 per cent of the adult population – were expected to bet on the Super Bowl, a 35 per cent increase year-on-year, while it was claimed bettors planned to wager an estimated $23.1 billion, up from $16bn in 2023.

The numbers released after the game certainly reflected the further expansion of the legal sports betting market in the US. Sports betting geolocation firm GeoComply reported a 22.3 per cent increase in traffic throughout Super Bowl weekend.