The biggest day of the year for sports has come and gone. Super Bowl Sunday always generates lots of money in marketing, from its iconic Super Bowl commercials to celebrity appearances. But with sports betting on the rise, more and more fans are tuning in to sports around the world.
An estimated $1.39 billion U.S. dollars was wagered on the game, which would have broken records, but Statista reported that $151.6 million U.S. dollars ended up being the total, lower than last year’s Super Bowl, which raked in $190 million U.S. dollars in bets.
Regardless of these record-breaking numbers, the sports betting boom really took off a few years ago after a bill was introduced that allowed single-game betting.
“There’s a lot that’s been happening over the years relative to sports betting, and with the introduction of Bill C-218 back in 2021, which allowed sports betting on an individual game basis,” shared Bill Reid, a coordinator from the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business.
Today, sports betting is accessible through many popular apps like FanDuel, The Score, Betway, and more, making it very easy for fans to get involved.
“With the explosion of new betting platforms, from a marketing perspective, we’ve seen a huge explosion of marketing in that area. Fans get involved. I think the biggest change we’ve seen has been more of an emphasis and focus on analytics,” said Reid.
While the pull is definitely to win money, it also enhances the game-watching experience for fans, as the stakes are higher.
“People aren’t just watching to see if their team wins; they’re watching to see if the players they follow are winning face-offs or how many shots on net,” added Reid.
Betting on the Super Bowl was extensive, allowing fans to place bets on things that weren’t even related to sports, such as Taylor Swift’s appearances or Kendrick Lamar’s song choices.
Some fans even walked away with a win from their team and some money in their pocket.
“I honestly didn’t look because I was watching the game. It was literally just like Eagles win, and then I guess Gatorade colour and something else for Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show. The one bet I forgot that I had down—because I probably placed it like a while back—was Eagles to win. So that’s where most of the money came from,” shared Jon Duncan, a Fanshawe student who walked away with a couple thousand in wins.
“I am way more likely to watch a game when I’ve got money on it. I’m really into basketball, but now I’m watching all kinds of games with my bets,” Duncan finished.
