Super Bowl Squares Gambling Illegal
A record 26 million Americans will post $6.8 billion on Super Bowl betting this year, according to new data from the American Gaming Association (AGA).
Much of that money will be wagered in the illegal market, though, as legal US sportsbooks continue working on migrating bettors from offshore and bookies.
The record number is about 3 million more people who wagered on the Super Bowl last year. The expansion of legal US sports betting helps with that growth, according to Bill Miller, president and CEO of the AGA:
“With 14 operational markets and another seven close behind, Americans have never before had so many opportunities to wager on the Super Bowl in a safe and legal manner, and clearly, they are getting in on the action. With increased visitation to legal sportsbooks, we are successfully drawing bettors away from the predatory illegal market.”
Although hearts around Pittsburgh are still heavy from the Steelers’ AFC Championship loss, that’d never be enough to curtail some friendly and, at least in the eyes of the Pennsylvania State.
Most pen-and-paper Super Bowl bets are illegal — federal law prohibits full-scale sports betting in all states other than Nevada — and people are explicitly prohibited from using Venmo for gambling. (Social gambling is legal in some states, which sometimes but not always includes wagers like office betting pools). In most states, a contest such as a Super Bowl squares pool (or boxes pool) would be deemed to constitute an illegal lottery if it involved three elements: consideration (generally an entry fee), prize and chance. Are office football pools illegal? This statute covers bets on ‘socially acceptable’ gambling opportunities such as Super Bowl squares and the NCAA Tournament, in addition to straight and parlay bets with illegal bookmakers or online sports wagering websites. In addition, MCL 432.218 prohibits the conducting of a gambling operation commonly referred to as bookmaking.
Super Bowl betting facts
The survey, conducted by Morning Consult, includes a few interesting nuggets of information:
- Nearly 4 million people will bet at a legal retail sportsbook, up 25% from last year.
- Almost 5 million people will bet through an online or mobile sportsbook, up 19% from 2019. That figure includes bettors accessing offshore books.
- The rest of the betting will also come from other illegal and unregulated forms. Those include betting with a bookie, in a squares contest or casually with family and friends.
PlayUSA.com forecasts legal online and retail US sportsbooks will take $400 million in Super Bowl bets.
Super Bowl Squares Gambling Illegal Immigrants
DraftKings releases Super Bowl LIV betting survey
According to DraftKings, 82% of Americans are interested in placing a legal bet on the Super Bowl. That number could be a little high considering the survey targeted 1,000 sports fans.
Super Bowl Squares Gambling Illegal Game
The appetite for daily fantasy sports is still strong as well, with 81% wanting to enter a Super Bowl DFS contest.
Super Bowl betting also holds the attention of viewers. A robust 78% said they’d watch the entire game if they bet on it. And 61% said they wouldn’t change channels during ad breaks if they had money on the line.
The most popular form of betting will be squares contests at 62%, followed by spreads at 56%, over/under at 43% and in-game betting at 42%.
AGA expects up to 30 legal jurisdictions by next year
There could be as many as 30 legal US jurisdictions with sports betting this time next year, Miller said.
If the pending seven jurisdictions all begin taking bets by the start of next NFL season, that would mean more than 100 million Americans have access to legal sports betting, he added.
The business of sports betting and how teams and leagues can profit off of it is getting bigger as well. The NFL has a $2.3 billion opportunity from legal US sports betting, according to AGA research.
As for sports teams, there are already 70 partnerships between teams and gaming companies to date. That should eclipse 100 by the end of the year, Miller said.
I am involved with my local 501(c)(3) kids’ sports league and want to do a 50/50 Super Bowl pool, where half the money goes to the winner and half the money goes to our local league and another charity. Is this allowed?
Sports wagering is generally illegal in this country and, depending on your state or local law, your Super Bowl pool is probably technically illegal. If you are part of a national league system, it might also be a violation of the national’s rules.
That doesn’t mean that pools aren’t run every year by a whole lot of charities, clubs, businesses and other groups. They are so prevalent that some state attorneys general have announced that they won’t bother to prosecute if all of the bets are distributed to the winners, so that there is no “house” that skims a percentage of the total pool. Whether or not these AGs would change their minds if a charity took a fully disclosed cut for fundraising purposes is an open question.
Assuming that it is illegal in your locality, a lawyer should not advise you to do it. Clients often disregard their lawyers’ advice, however, and treat Super Bowl pools a little like jaywalking. The problem with doing something clearly illegal is that there is no defense if someone in authority decides to make an issue out of it. And it doesn’t set a very good example for young athletes.