Less than half of the US currently has access to legal sports betting
With the NFL Conference Championship Weekend complete, football fans are now eagerly anticipating the 2023 Super Bowl. The winner of the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs, will take on the winner of the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the 2023 head to head. Both teams were the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, so when they face off on February 12, it promises to be an exciting game.
When and how can you watch the game
For the 57th edition of the Super Bowl, here are some of the key details you will need to know:
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023
- Location: Glendale, Arizona
- Venue: State Farm Stadium
- Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV network: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, NBCSports.com
The rise of sports betting and gambling
Prior to a Supreme Court ruling in May 2018, legal Super Bowl betting in the US was only possible in Nevada. As a result, Las Vegas had become a popular destination around the time of the Super Bowl and the various books operating there would go all-out for the event. Since the Supreme Court ruling, fans in numerous other states can now legally wager on the event with yet more states following suit and sports betting looking to become even bigger business.
Betting on sporting events has become more prevalent in recent years, and in particular following the COVID-19 pandemic, when confined atmospheres within casinos meant that gaming corporations had to find new ways of allowing gambling. Today sports betting is thought to be a $150 billion industry and this is even considered to be a conservative estimate.
Betting online: What you need to know
Currently it is possible to bet on the Super Bowl online in more than two dozen states, including New York, Arizona, Illinois, Colorado, Louisiana, and New Jersey. Some states, like Delaware and Mississippi, have sports betting, but only in-person services. Be sure to check on your state’s rules and regulations to see if online sports betting is available in your area.
To bet on Super Bowl LVII online, you will need to set up an account with a sportsbook. Where you live will determine what legal sportsbooks are available in your state. Some well-known online sportsbooks include DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, and PointsBet USA. Many of these sites and sportsbooks offer sign-up bonuses for new customers.
Unsurprisingly, the sportsbooks in legal states are thriving businesses so it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds as additional states come online for a piece of the action.
What to look out for
Legal states have the freedom to set their own rules in regard to sports betting, so there are differences and similarities across jurisdictions to be aware of. For example, the legal age isn’t uniform across states, but every state prohibits team- and league-affiliated personnel from betting on their own sports.
There is still an active market of illegal gambling, including offshore sites that claim to operate under what they call a cloud of uncertainty in US laws. The sites may appear legitimate, but closer scrutiny reveals they are operating in violation of federal law.
Major red flags to watch for out for are:
- The acceptance of alternative currencies as funding options
- The availability of bets that state regulators wouldn’t permit
State laws have agreed protections in place for user funds, giving a clear path toward resolution in the event that problems arise. Offshore sites provide no such guarantees, so your money may be at risk.
There are multiple different types of bets that can be made on the Super Bowl, beyond simply which team will win, but key things to be confident of are that you are placing your bet legally and that you only ever wager with an amount that you could comfortably afford to lose. Good luck!
What's your view on sports betting? Should all states now take steps to allow it? Or should online gambling of all types remain restricted, for the public's protection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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