In what can be seen as a surprising downturn, betting figures associated with the 2024 Super Bowl in Pennsylvania have shown a significant decline. The sportsbooks, both retail and online outlets, have experienced a sum total of $71.5 million in placed wagers, showcasing a hurdle in the otherwise thriving betting activity. This figure signifies a noteworthy decrease of 15.1% compared to the frenzy observed in the Super Bowl of 2023, when Pennsylvania’s own Philadelphia Eagles were outperformed by the Kansas City Chiefs.
An examination of the numbers reveals that the total revenue generated after bettors were paid out is expected to be $11.0 million. When contrasted with the previous year’s windfall of $29.7 million obtained from the Super Bowl, this represents a sharp 62.7% fall. Despite this dip, it’s important to point out that sports betting in Pennsylvania is established and was legal for its sixth consecutive Super Bowl. What’s more, this year marked the fourth anniversary of the state sanctioning online sports betting.
A closer look at the betting options reveals that bettors had myriad choices to cast their stakes across 18 physical retail locations and 12 online sites. Nevertheless, the preference for online betting remained evident, with online wagers reaching $64.6 million for this year’s Super Bowl. Unfortunately, this too signified a decrease, this time of 12.5% in contrast to the previous year’s online betting total, which also stood as the apex since the inception of online betting in Pennsylvania.
The retail segment which comprised the remainder $6.8 million in bets remained unchanged from the preceding years of 2022 and 2021 but was substantially less compared to the $10.3 million gamble in retail for the 2023 Super Bowl. Specifically, this represents a decrease of 33.4% from year to year.
The bleak scenario continues when analyzing the expected revenue, which is poised to reach only $451,039 for retail betting locations—a jaw-dropping 90.4% decrease on an annual basis. Notwithstanding, it has been brought to attention that this is still not the nadir of retail revenue; this dubious honor belongs to Super Bowl 2020 which witnessed a loss of $450,894.
As for online revenue, estimates stand at $10.6 million, a 57.6% decrease from the prior year. However, there is a silver lining: the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board highlighted more than 875,000 online wagering accounts were active over the Super Bowl weekend—a 10.4% increase. This surge in participation was validated by geolocation service GeoComply, which ran 13.6 million geolocation checks to ensure only those within Pennsylvania borders accessed its legal sports betting websites.
This downturn in Pennsylvania’s betting landscape contrasts sharply with the rest of the country, with various states charting record-breaking engagement in Super Bowl betting. Nevada tops the list by setting a new record with an astonishing $185.6 million wagered on the Super Bowl. Anticipating the magnitude of the event, GeoComply logged an astounding 14,750 bets per second ahead of the game.
Nevertheless, the broader picture offered by the American Gaming Association’s recent survey foresees a colossal amount of up to $23.10 billion to be bet on the Super Bowl nationwide. While Pennsylvania’s reduction in football betting activities might reflect a temporary setback or perhaps a regional disinterest due to the absence of local teams in the Super Bowl, the enthusiasm for the big game across America suggests that sports betting remains a robust industry with significant impact on the economy.
