February 16, 2023
Pennsylvania gamblers wagered more than $84.3 million on the Super Bowl, the highest total since the state legalized sports betting in 2018.
Fueled by the Philadelphia Eagles' appearance in the big game, that total marked a 24% increase on the $68 million waged on last year's Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported.
After money was paid out to winners, Pennsylvania brought in $29.7 million in revenue – a 549% increase over the $4.6 million made last year.
Super Bowl Sunday is traditionally the biggest sports gambling day of the year.
As in recent years, gamblers primarily placed their bets online. There were more than 793,000 online sports wagering accounts active during Super Bowl weekend, according to data from the geolocation technology service GeoComply.
The online Super Bowl handle was nearly $74 million, up from $61.1 million in 2022.
Another $10.3 million was wagered at the state's 19 licensed retail sites, an increase from the $6.9 million bet last year.
Philadelphia casinos had banked on an increase in wagers due to the Eagles playing the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Last week, BetRivers Sportsbook general manager Andrew Palumbo told the Philadelphia Business Journal that he expected a 30% increase in bets.
"It's the perfect setup for us at the sportsbook, right? I mean, we have a sportsbook, we're in Philadelphia, and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl. The stars are aligning for us," Palumbo said.
Sports betting rose about 8% in volume in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Illinois before the playoffs, crowdsourced financial website Seeking Alpha reported in January. Those numbers increased in Pennsylvania as the Eagles marched to the Super Bowl.
Across the country, 50 million adults were expected to bet an estimated $16 billion on the Super Bowl, a 61% increase over 2022, the American Gaming Association said.
