Online Super Bowl 55 Betting Expected To Be At All-Time High

Retail sportsbooks across the nation are projecting lower handle numbers for Super Bowl 55 because of the Coronavirus Pandemic’s health safety protocols allowing for limited operating capacities.
A $2.3 million wager has been put on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the 3.5 spread set with BetMGM’s mobile app in Nevada.
Mobile sportsbooks are projected to post high levels of action for SB 55 because of the Brady-Mahomes showdown.

TAMPA, Fla. – Super Bowl 55 is projected to be a mixed bag as far as what bookies are expecting in total handle. While retail sports betting is expected to be down, mobile betting on the Super Bowl is expected to be at an all-time high.

With more and more states having launched their legal sports betting industries like Virginia and Michigan unveiling their mobile sportsbook applications in January, the engagement by NFL fans betting on the Super Bowl should be very high.

This should especially be the case because this is a game where football legend Tom Brady will go head to head with the best young player in the league, Patrick Mahomes.

What Sportsbooks Will See The Most Action On SB 55?

Current projections suggest mobile sports betting platforms will be the breadwinners in terms of SB 55 betting handle as they allow their members to bet from wherever they are.

It is the brick-and-mortar sportsbooks that are slated to not see as much money wagered on the game as they’ve seen in previous years and it’s due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Sports wagering establishments are expected to operate at only 50% capacity, leaving them open for only 50% of the Super Bowl wagers they’d normally see. The major dip in tourism also has a negative effect on this because plenty of gambling is done by out-of-towners.

Super Bowl 54 brought Nevada a record handle of $154.67 million.

“We rely a lot on tourists on our property, but we just won’t be able to offer that this year, though we do have six different venues set up for 50 people because that’s our max,” said Jay Kornegay, the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook vice president. “But I would expect some of the other jurisdictions that offer remote sign-ups and full mobile wagering are probably going to put up some pretty good numbers.”

But that’s where the mobile sports betting platforms will come in handy, literally and figuratively.

Although Nevada projects a lower-than-normal handle from NFL bettors, they do have online and mobile sportsbooks applications that made up 60% of their overall handle for December. So, the state cannot rule out plenty of activity on the game just yet through these platforms.

And BetMGM has already taken a $2.3 million bet for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the 3.5 point spread they set on the team through their mobile app.

“This was a bet we were very happy to receive,” said Jason Scott, vice president of trading for BetMGM. “We had previously written several other six-figure bets, all on Kansas City, and the public is certainly behind Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.”

With legal sports betting expanding throughout more than half of the country, it’s no wonder that Super Bowl 55 and mobile sportsbooks should see a good amount of action, maybe even record-breaking action because of the Brady-Mahomes faceoff.

And retail sportsbooks will still get their fair share of handle from those willing to venture out to the establishments and wager on the game.

“Even if you don’t have the internet or television, you know about this game. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are two of the most popular individuals, not just athletes, but people on the planet,” said Nate Johnson, product manager for PayPerHead.

Kickoff for Super Bowl 55 where the Kansas City Chiefs will go up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starts at 6:30 p.m. EST at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. this Sunday. The CBS Network will be airing the broadcast live.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.