LSB Feature: Why This Will Be NFL’s Biggest Betting Season

• There are now 26 live sports betting markets nationwide marking the most ever in US history.
• Studies show that 45.2 million Americans will bet on the 2021-2022 NFL season.
• The NFL has also expanded to a 17-game regular season, allowing for an extra game to wager on.

PHOENIX – With the addition of new sports betting markets, the expanded NFL season, and the influx of new fans of sports gaming, the 2021-2022 NFL season is projected be the most wagered on season in league history.

Betting on the NFL is already the most popular gambling activity at sportsbooks to see action but these newest factors have led to this season being tied to expectations of seeing the most action than any other year for the industry.

Sportsbooks are already reporting large numbers of futures bets and first-week game lines. This football season will surely be one for the record books.

New Markets Bringing Revenue

Arizona, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming all became states with regulated sports betting in time for the 2021 NFL season. There are now a total of 26 live sports betting industries in the US which is more than half of the country.

With these markets having sports betting for the first time, there are going to be several new sports bettors getting in on the various NFL odds offered by sportsbooks this year.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) released a study showing that 45.2 million Americans will be betting on the NFL season this year. This is 18% of the total US population and a 36% increase from the wagers placed last season.

“Sports betting is more popular than ever among Americans, and the enthusiasm of bettors for the upcoming NFL season highlights the remarkable growth of the industry over the past three years,” said Bill Miller, AGA President and CEO. “Importantly, when the 2021 NFL season begins, more than 111 million* American adults will be able to wager safely with regulated sportsbooks in their home states rather than with the predatory illegal market.”

With all of the new NFL bettors placing their first wagers, an estimated $20 billion will be gambled on football this year, nearly tripling the $7.5 billion sportsbooks saw during the 2020 NFL season.

Not only will sports wagering operators be seeing more action but there will be more sports betting revenue from NFL betting this year in large part due to the additional new markets but also because the NFL itself has embraced sports wagering.

NFL Expanding And Embracing Sports Betting

The NFL will be seeing a lot of firsts this season. This will be the first year that 17 regular-season games will be played, giving one more game for sports bettors to place action on for each team and this is also the first year that NFL fans will be seeing betting lines during league game broadcasts.

Another first that will be happening in the sport is having the league embrace sports betting as the NFL is allowing its sportsbook partners to advertise during games. For the first time ever, fans will see commercials for popular sportsbooks during timeouts, halftime, and pregame and postgame shows.

The league is also going to see its first in-stadium sportsbook at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The league opening its arms to sports wagering activities in all its forms will surely add to the overall betting spikes that will be seen at sportsbooks during the 2021-2022 NFL season.

Where Is The Money Going?

Sportsbooks are already reporting major action, with betting fans across the country wagering on Week 1 matchups and NFL futures bets.

The game seeing the most action for Week 1 is the AFC faceoff between Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs; 29% of Week 1 bets have been placed on this matchup.

Futures bettors have also been active, with 47% of all Passing TD Leader wagers being placed on Patrick Mahomes (+300), 21% on Aaron Rodgers (+850), and 18% on Josh Allen (+1000).

League awards are seeing a lot of bets as well. Those betting on the NFL Regular Season MVP have jumped on the Patrick Mahomes’ bandwagon as well, with 39% of bettors taking his +500 odds for this particular bet.

The Super Bowl as well as the AFC and NFC Conference Championships are getting the bulk of futures action, however, with bettors jumping on these odds early for the chance of larger payouts.

There has been a total of 30% of fans taking the Kansas City Chiefs (+500) to win Super Bowl 56 while 16% are betting on the defending Champions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+650).

The Chiefs are seeing 52% of all wagers to win the AFC Championship at +250, followed by the Buffalo Bills who are seeing 17% of all wagers at (+550).

The Buccaneers at (+300) are seeing 35% of all wagers to win the NFC Championship with the Los Angeles Rams (+700) coming in second with 11% of total handle on this bet.

The NFL and the regulated sports betting world have never been closer or more intertwined. Plenty of sports betting fans will be winning big this year for the first time and the market as a whole will be seeing the most handle ever.

News tags: AFC | American Gaming Association | Arizona | Arizona Cardinals | Bill Miller | Dallas Cowboys | football | Ian Rapoport | Kansas City Chiefs | LSB Feature | NFC | NFL | Patrick Mahomes | Phoenix | South Dakota | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tom Brady | Washington | Wyoming