Kambi’s NFL 2020/2021 Season Report, a playbook on sports betting habits, gives detailed data and trends from its network. It’s no surprise that football is the most bet sport followed by basketball and baseball. Mobile betting has contributed to the explosion of live betting and player prop markets gained popularity.
The Philadelphia Eagles finished last in the NFC East but they finished near the top in another ranking. The Eagles had the second-highest game handle of all 32 NFL teams.
Live betting explodes at sportsbooks
The 2020/2021 NFL was full of uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the league still managed to play all 256 games. The playoffs were capped off by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady not only being the oldest player ever to compete in a Super Bowl, but leading the Bucs to a 31-9 win and taking home the MVP trophy.
It was also a history-making season at sportsbooks highlighted by the astronomical growth of live betting, player prop betting, and the most-wagered Super Bowl ever. As a result of the legalization of sports betting in more states, Super Bowl LV had three times the bet volume than the previous year.
Key findings of Kambi’s report highlight the rapid growth of in-game betting:
- 390% increase in live wagers
- Live betting wagers amount is 50% larger than pre-game
- 37% of regular NFL bettors placed a live wager
- Handle generated on live betting markets grew 400% from last NFL season, accounting for 20% of all bets
- In-game handle doubled in New Jersey from the last NFL season
In another not-so-shocking finding, stand-alone games such as Thursday Night Football and Monday Night Football have a much higher handle than other games.
- Stand-alone games have 3x the handle of other games on average
- Live betting doubled during stand-alone games
- Nine of the ten top teams for game handle also had the most stand-alone games.
2020 NFL betting season in review
Biggest NFL game by handle
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Biggest regular season game by handle
- New York Giants vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11/3/20)
Top 5 players by handle
- Patrick Mahomes
- Travis Kelce
- Alvin Kamara
- Tom Brady
- Davante Adams
Eagles and Steelers rule hearts and wallets in PA
Pennsylvania bettors’ bucks went to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the states where Kambi powers sportsbooks, the home team fared well in terms of handle. In all states, the Chiefs and Green Bay Packers were popular.
Top 5 teams by handle including playoffs
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Green Bay Packers
- Buffalo Bills
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Top 5 teams by handle (regular season only)
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New York Giants
- Seattle Seahawks
Player prop markets also experienced a big jump in user activity. During the 2020 NFL season, player prop markets grew 50%.
Top 5 NFL player props by handle
- Touchdown scorer
- Receiving yards per player
- Rushing yards by player
- Receptions by player
- Touchdown passes thrown by player
Kambi’s stock skyrockets
Kambi is a B2B sports betting provider that companies use to offer sports betting. Kambi boasts four areas of expertise for its sports betting offering:
- Technical platform
- Odds and trading
- User interface
- Risk management
Kambi-powered sportsbooks are currently live in 14 states. Kambi charges its operators a fee based on a number of variables, the largest of which is a revenue share element.
Kambi is the line originator for these sportsbooks in PA:
- DraftKings
- BetRivers/PlaySugarHouse
- Unibet
- Barstool
- Parx
Kambi’s ($KAMBI) one-year stock performance increased 360.4%. It closed around $62.50 per share on April 12 and has earned a buy rating from investment analysts.
In Kambi’s Annual Report released in late March, CEO Kristian Nylén said:
“I am proud to be able to say that the business is in fantastic shape, having passed its toughest of tests. Kambi is the established sportsbook of choice for operators with the ambition to achieve market leadership. Scalability coupled with technological and regulatory expertise have been central to our business model since the company was founded, and our focus on these areas has been vindicated by the strides we have made in 2020 and the position of real strength we occupy.”
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Justin Berl
