Legal wagers tied to Super Bowl LX are expected to reach $1.76bn, according to projections released by the American Gaming Association (AGA).
Legal wagers tied to Super Bowl LX are expected to reach $1.76bn, according to projections released by the American Gaming Association (AGA).
If realised, the figure would represent the largest amount ever forecast for regulated betting connected to the NFL’s championship game.
The Sports Betting Alliance is slightly more conservative in its figure, predicting bets worth $1.71bn.
The projection reflects the continued spread and maturation of licensed sports wagering across US state and tribal markets.
The estimate substantially exceeds the AGA’s prior Super Bowl outlooks, rising from $1.39bn projected ahead of Super Bowl LIX last year.
It also remains well above research that placed Super Bowl LVIII wagering a year earlier at $1.25bn through legal channels, based on analysis by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
Since last year’s Super Bowl, only one additional jurisdiction has moved into the legal sports betting space.
Missouri authorised wagering during that period, bringing the total number of states with legal sportsbooks to 39. Legal betting is also available in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
While pre-game estimates continue to increase, the industry still lacks a verified, post-event accounting that captures complete sportsbook-reported Super Bowl betting activity.
States are not required under federal law to disclose handle figures or to submit wagering data to a national clearinghouse, and no federal agency compiles a comprehensive nationwide total once the event has concluded.
Because reporting remains decentralised, historical comparisons depend on estimates rather than reconciled operator data.
Even with that limitation, the AGA’s outlook points to persistent consumer participation within regulated betting environments.
Prediction markets to impact sportsbook results
Alongside its Super Bowl forecast, the AGA published findings from a separate study focused on consumer understanding of the sports event contracts offered through prediction market platforms.
The research suggests that marketing and presentation frequently blur the distinction between wagering and investing.
The study found that 78% of sports event contract users believe state regulators could help resolve disputes involving their platform, despite those markets operating outside state sports betting oversight.
The results indicate broad confusion around who governs these products and what protections apply.
User perception of prediction markets also diverges sharply from traditional sportsbook behaviour. Participants using sports event contracts were found to be three times more likely to describe their activity as investment-related.
28% characterised their participation as investing, compared with 9% of sportsbook bettors.
Messaging appears to play a role. Nearly one-third of sports event contract users reported seeing references to trading or investing within platform communications, compared with a small fraction of sportsbook customers.
Funding patterns also differed, with 25% of sports event contract bettors drawing from investment budgets, versus 9% among sportsbook users.
Despite these trends, the study suggested a majority of sports event contract users recognise the activity as gambling. 58% described it as such, indicating awareness of risk despite conflicting presentation.