“People have come to begin to enjoy it and come to make it part of their regular experience,” he said. “We’ve seen a good turnout, we’ve seen increasing numbers, so we expect the Super Bowl to be receiving more bets here.”īy mid-week, the Rivers sportsbook in Pittsburgh had already seen more wagers than in previous years, said Andre Barnabei, senior vice president of gaming operations.
“At every sportsbook in America, the Super Bowl and March Madness are their two marquee events, and the NFL’s been (having) a great run for … 18 weeks,” said Sean Sullivan, general manager of Live! Casino in Hempfield. Early bettors at Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Side and Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall have favored the Rams (which opened as a 4-point favorite at most sportsbooks) to take home the Vince Lombardi trophy.
and Cincinnati won their conference championships two weeks ago. Still, the anticipated increase in people placing bets this year already was showing up at local casinos, which had been fielding wagers since L.A. The growth of online sportsbooks has taken off, with several legal options available through mobile apps including Bet MGM, FanDuel and ones developed by local casinos, including BetRivers. That’s 78% more than last year’s anticipated $4.3 billion Super Bowl total - and would eclipse the record $6.8 billion bet on the championship game two years ago.Īpproximately three out of four people are expected to place legal wagers online this year versus at a retail sportsbook, data show. Super Bowl LVI, which pits the Los Angeles Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals, is expected to draw a record 31.4 million Americans to wager an estimated $7.6 billion on the game legally, illegally and through casual bets, according to the American Gaming Association. Pittsburgh might not be going to the Super Bowl, but Western Pennsylvanians are joining a record-breaking number of Americans placing bets on who will win Sunday’s game.