Commentary

Super Bowl LX: Viewing Flat, Wagering Way Up

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 11 hours ago

Traditional Super Bowl TV-streaming viewing remained  basically the same as a year ago (down 2%) to 124.9 million Nielsen-measured viewers. 

But what about wagering and gambling? That was up 27% versus a year ago to $1.76 billion (from $1.39 billion), according to the American Gaming Association -- in surveying all “legal” channels.

Looking specifically at those hot, near "prediction markets," separate estimates show that another $1.5 billion was “traded” in the game. Kalshi placed nearly $1 billion and Polymarket (still not legal) got $1.2 billion in wagering, according to investment bank Piper Sandler analysts.

What took a hit? That would be Nevada-based casino gaming, according to a report in Bloomberg, down nearly 12% year-over-year -- the lowest in around 10 years.

Overall there was a lot of money growth in the game, with advertisers placing their bets as well (so to speak). 

Comcast's NBCUniversal platforms -- NBC Television Network, Peacock, Telemundo and NBC Digital -- pulled in an estimated $800 million in advertising in the game, pre-game, and post game programming. That is possibly a new record.

While early reports were that NFL-aligned online sports betting operations DraftKings and FanDuel also did well, analysts say results could have been better.

Those sportsbooks had the Seattle Seahawks favored to win the game against the New England Patriots -- and they did just that, with a score of 29-13.

Predictably, they also beat the point spread (-4.5) and the game total “over/under” bet (42 points), which was under the 45.5-point-spread set. 

Marketing and more wagering content could be key to the rise, as sports TV networks now offer regular programming content on wagering. 

ESPN has one called “Bad Beats” during Scott Van Pelt's prime-time “SportsCenter” show.

It shows dramatic/unbelievable conclusions of games and their effects on the wagering marketplace.

Does this mean even more dramatic gambling on games -- and higher wagering off all types -- to come?