Pennsylvania sports bettors laid big bucks on Super Bowl 56, according to figures released by the PGCB Wednesday. Over $68 million was bet on the Super Bowl in Pennsylvania, a 27% increase from last year.
After payouts, revenue for sportsbooks is expected to be about $4.5 million which is a significant decrease from the $9.4 million won from last year’s Super Bowl.
The 2022 Super Bowl was the fourth big game that Pennsylvanians could legally wager on and the third for which they could place bets from online sportsbooks. Since sports betting apps launched in the summer of 2019, about 90% of all bets have been placed online and it was an identical number for Super Bowl 56 bets.
Pennsylvania Super Bowl betting continues its ascent
Data obtained from GeoComply which uses technology to identify sports app users’ physical location reported 413,000 unique customers logged on to sports betting apps in Pennsylvania on Super Bowl Sunday.
It’s a 29% increase from the 2020 Super Bowl and a 106% increase from the 2019 Super Bowl. The figures from GeoComply do not take into account wagers placed at PA retail sportsbooks.
PA Super Bowl handle from 2020-2022
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Handle | $24,035,942 | $47,497,202 | $61,106,349 |
| Retail Handle | $6,728,544 | $6,137,478 | $6,938,462 |
| Total Handle | $30,693,942 | $53,634,680 | $68,044,810 |
PA Super Bowl revenue from 2020-2022
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Revenue | -$2,840,675 | $9,418,535 | $3,877,693 |
| Retail Revenue | -$450,894 | -$24,264 | $697,646 |
| Total Revenue | -$3,334,787 | $9,394,271 | $4,575,339 |
How Pennsylvania bet on the 2022 Super Bowl
According to data released from DraftKings on the morning of the Super Bowl, 65% of DraftKings PA bettors were backing the Cincinnati Bengals (+4) against the Los Angeles Rams.
DraftKings also shared several notable Super Bowl bets and the states they were placed. Here are some of the larger Super Bowl bets placed at DraftKings in Pennsylvania. (Note: We do not know if the bettor hedged or cashed out early).
| Market | Pick | Line | Stake | Potential Payout | Won/Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spread | Bengals | +4.5 | $200,000 | $381,820 | Won |
| Moneyline | Rams | -190 | $65,517 | $99,999 | Won |
| Ja’Marr Chase Rushing yards | Over | 3.5 | $15,000 | $28,044 | Won |
| Bengals longest punt | Over | 52.5 | $15.000 | $28,044 | Won |
| Shortest field goal made | Over | 27.5 | $15,000 | $28,044 | Won |
| Joe Burrow rushing yards | Under | 11.5 | $15,000 | $28,637 | Won |
| Joe Mixon yards on first rush | Under | 3.5 | $15,000 | $27,000 | Won |
| Cooper Kupp longest reception | Over | 28.5 | $15,000 | $25,715 | Loss |
| Total game sacks | Over | 5.5 | $15.000 | $31.500 | Won |
| Cam Akers rushing yards | Over | 63.5 | $10,000 | $18,333 | Loss |
| Joe Burrow passing attempts | Under | 36.5 | $10,000 | $18,696 | Won |
| Super Bowl 56 MVP | Evan McPherson | +13000 | $1,000 | $131,000 | Loss |
Super Bowl winner at Live! Casino Philadelphia
Someone at the FanDuel Sportsbook at Live! Casino Philadelphia placed a futures bet on Oct. 2 on the Rams to win the Super Bowl for a potential payout of $190,000.
They hedged with a +4.5 wager on the Cincinnati Bengals. Both bets won and paid out $284,642.75.
Sports betting growth in PA and beyond
Overall, it was a huge NFL season for sports betting with more states legalizing it. In Pennsylvania, sportsbooks added and improved features like same game parlays, in-game betting, and hundreds of props.
In a report by Morgan Stanley with data from GeoComply, sports betting volumes increased 161% YoY for the NFL Divisional Round. A chunk of that was from New York which launched online sports betting in early January. New York reached $2 billion in handle in 30 days.
Pennsylvania saw betting volume grow 31% YoY and action from the Wild Card Round to the Divisional Round rose 23%.
FanDuel Super Bowl statement
FanDuel has led all PA sportsbook operators for handle and revenue since arrival. They released a statement after Super 56 that read:
“The Rams brought home a Super Bowl Championship and made a lot of FanDuel customers very happy. Odell Beckham Jr. started the game off right when he scored the game’s first touchdown. Beckham was the top selection in the First TD Scorer market and his touchdown paid out nearly $4 million in straight bets to FanDuel Sportsbook customers. Even though Beckham was injured in the first half, he did enough to deliver another $1.4 million to customers as part of an odds boost that required Beckham to notch 50+ receiving yards and a Rams win. The odds were boosted for that promotional market from +155 to +220. Touchdowns by Beckham and Cooper Kupp were a great result for customers who placed straight bets and parlays.
“New FanDuel Sportsbook customers also had a great night with the Rams comeback — $38 million was paid out to new customers as part of FanDuel Sportsbook’s 56-1 offer. Even though the Rams won, they did not cover, giving some solace to Bengals bettors who won more than $17 million on the spread market in pre-match betting.”
Lead image Ted S. Warren/AP
