SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has estimated that $3.8 billion will be wagered illegally on the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX (Feb 1). The gambling trade association stated that betting on the event through illegal betting services would be 38 times greater than Nevada casinos accepted wagers.
At present Nevada is the only US state that allows sports wagering on individual matches. However this week, the US Treasury Department warned licensed casino operators that they had to combat illegal gambling placed on their premises through third party runners.
The AGA stated that the amount wagered illegally on the NFL serves to highlight current inefficiencies with the US gambling framework, as illegal wagering is more popular than ever with consumers
Geoff Freeman AGA President stated that the trade association would continue to monitor the situation in order to find “the best way forward for the gaming industry”.
The AGA arrived at its $3.8 billion estimate for the Super Bowl based on a 1999 report by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, which found that $80 billion to $380 billion was spent on illegal gambling.
“The $3.8 billion, that’s conservative,” Chris Moyer, a spokesman for the AGA, said in a phone interview.
Last year the NFL Super Bowl was watched by a record 112 million US viewers. The Nevada Gaming Control Board estimated that sports books netted $19.7 million from the $119.4 million staked on the Seattle Seahawks’ 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos
