Pennsylvanians bet $68 million on Super Bowl, a 26% increase over 2021 wagers

Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry is off to a strong start after Super Bowl LVI set a record for wagers in the Keystone State, according to preliminary figures from state regulators.

Pennsylvanians wagered more than $68 million on Sunday’s game, which saw the Los Angeles Rams overtake the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20. That’s $37.3 million more wagered through retail and online sportsbooks than compared with 2020, when the handle totaled $30.6 million. And it is $14.4 million more than 2021, when the handle was $53.6 million.

The increase coincides with national predictions that suggested a record-breaking number of Americans would place bets on this year’s game.

A report released by the American Gaming Association before the game projected 31.4 million Americans would bet $7.6 billion — legally and illegally — on this year’s Super Bowl. That’s an increase from the 23.2 million Americans who were expected to wager $4.3 billion on the Super Bowl last year, when several facilities were impacted by the covid-19 pandemic.

The increase in interest across the country was largely attributed to people learning about sports betting in mature markets and more states legalizing online and in-person bets, according to the AGA.

In Pennsylvania, this was the fourth year that legal sports wagering was available for the Super Bowl after the industry was legalized in 2018, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a federal law preventing most states from legalizing sports betting. This was also the third year in which online wagering options were available in the state.

In all, Pennsylvanians this year could place Super Bowl bets at 18 retail locations and through 14 online wagering sites, according to the state Gaming Control Board.

Retail handles have stayed largely consistent over the past three years. Online sportsbooks, however, have seen significant growth.

This year, $61.1 million was bet online, and $6.9 million was wagered at a retail sportsbook, data show.

The online handle was $47.4 million in 2021 and $24 million in 2020.

Data from GeoComply, a company specializing in geolocation and compliance technology, suggested there were 413,000 unique users who logged on to online sports wagering sites in Pennsylvania on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s compared with 320,000 unique visitors during last year’s game.

After payouts, revenue from sports betting during the game is expected to total $4.5 million, officials said.