Americans are expected to bet $7.6 billion on the Super Bowl, up 78 percent from last year
A record 31.4 million Americans are expected to bet $7.6 billion on Sunday's Super Bowl game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, Reuters reports.
The number of betters is up 35 percent over last year, and the total amount wagered is up 78 percent. Much of the increase is driven by aggressive marketing campaigns for online sports betting, which became legal in several states following a 2018 Supreme Court decision.
Adam Chandler warned in The Atlantic that, with an ever greater number of Americans obsessively checking their bets during the big game, the Super Bowl may lose its "monocultural character," taking "one of the few communal spectacles we have left and turn[ing] it into something more individualistic."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Reuters notes that "only a portion" of those billions will be wagered on which team actually wins the game. Gamblers can also make proposition bets, which can range from which team will score first to "whether a player will propose to his girlfriend on the field after the game and whether Snoop Dogg will smoke on stage while performing at the Super Bowl halftime show."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
The best homes of the year
Feature Featuring a grand turret entrance in New York and built-in glass elevator in Arizona
By The Week Staff Published
-
Nordstrom family, investor to take retail chain private
Speed Read The business will be acquired by members of the family and El Puerto de Liverpool, a Mexican real estate company
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden commutes most federal death sentences
Speed Read The president downgraded the punishment of 37 of 40 prisoners on death row to life in prison without parole
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Indian teen is youngest world chess champion
Speed Read Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, unseated China's Ding Liren
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Europe roiled by attacks on Israeli soccer fans
Speed Read Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv team clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in 'antisemitic attacks,' Dutch authorities said
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York wins WNBA title, nearly nabs World Series
Speed Read The Yankees with face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming Fall Classic
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
After Tua injury, can NFL make progress on concussions?
Today's Big Question Dolphins QB faces calls to retire
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Cop benched after NFL star handcuffed in traffic stop
Speed Read A Miami-Dade police officer detained Dolphins star Tyreek Hill before the game
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The economics of taxpayer-subsidized stadiums
In Depth Shiny new stadiums can end up costing taxpayers billions
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Carolina ends perfect season with NCAA title
Speed Read The women's basketball team won a victory over superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published