AGA Report Predicts Staggering Super Bowl Betting Totals

Examining the AGA report on expected Super Bowl 2024 betting legal sports betting, offshore books, and casual bets between friends.

James Bisson

Last Updated: September 11, 2024 3:00 PM EDT • 3 minute read

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The annual American Gaming Association Super Bowl Wagering Estimates report for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII is out and as usual, the numbers provided are staggering. The report covers legal sports bets with licensed providers including our best sportsbooks, possible offshore bookie activity surrounding the Super Bowl, and even casual bets between friends.

This year, there is expected to be a 35% year-over-year uptick in overall Super Bowl wagering. The total dollar figure on Super Bowl bets will also likely jump from 2023's totals. Record sports wagering is almost a certainty, as is the success of legal sports betting providers nationwide.

“As the Super Bowl comes to Las Vegas for the first time, this year’s record interest in wagering marks a full circle moment for the U.S. gaming industry. Our priority remains getting this opportunity right by providing the consumer protections only a regulated market can guarantee and investing in responsible gambling tools, safeguards and education,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in the organization's 2024 report.

The AGA draws from a survey conducted by Morning Consult, a firm that asked 2,204 adults about their plans for betting on the Big Game. The survey took place between January 30 and February 1 and covered potential betting activity from licensed U.S. sportsbooks, retail and mobile, popular playoff pools, and casual betting activity between family and friends.

The overall numbers

According to the AGA report, a record 68 million American adults, or 26% of the adult population in the country, plan to place at least one wager on the 2024 Super Bowl. It represents a 35% year-over-year increase in overall betting activity on the game.

Another record, $23.1 billion, is expected to be wagered on, and in the leadup to the Big Game, a staggering $7 billion improvement from 2023's $16 billion wagered on the contest.

Legal industry continues to benefit

Legalizing and mainstreaming legal sports betting platforms across America continue to dominate the Super Bowl betting conversation. According to the report, real-money bets with sportsbooks and casinos are expected to eclipse the "casual bet" trend among friends and acquaintances surrounding the Big Game. It is the second year in a row that legal bets will outpace casual wagering activity.

Of the 68 million adults expected to place a Super Bowl wager, 42.7 million are expected to place what the AGA calls a "traditional sports wager" with an online sportsbook, a retail provider, or a bookie. That figure is an impressive 41% increase and speaks to the popularity and acceptance of sports betting providers in the country. 36.5 million American adults are expected to place a casual wager with friends, acquaintances, or family.

Regarding legal U.S. sportsbooks, 28.7 million Americans, or 11% of adults, are expected to use a licensed provider to make their Super Bowl wager.

The legal sports betting industry is also impacting education about the potential effects of sports betting. Responsible Gambling initiatives have been seen by a reported 75% of traditional bettors, according to the AGA report, which is up from 71% last year, and 47% of all American adults report hearing or seeing a Responsible Gambling message this year, up from 40% last year.

As for the game itself, the AGA reports that 47% of those surveyed plan to place a bet on the Kansas City Chiefs, while 44% plan on betting on the San Francisco 49ers.

Written by:
James Bisson

James Bisson is the Head of Content, Betting of Sportsbook Review. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, including a nine-year stint with The Canadian Press and more than five years at theScore. He has covered dozens of marquee events including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Stanley Cup final and Wrestlemania 23, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Yahoo! Sports, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. His book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008 and earned him appearances on CBC Radio and Canada AM. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews, more than 200 industry news articles and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles. A graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), James has been an avid bettor since the early 2000s, and cites bet365 as his favorite sports betting site due to its superior functionality and quick payouts. His favorite piece of sports betting advice: "Stay in your lane. You're much more likely to have success betting sports you know, and focusing on finding angles and edges there."