Super Bowl LVII Arizona Legal Sports Betting

Super Bowl LVII Happens in Glendale, Arizona Where Sports Betting is Legal

Now that sports betting is legal in over 30 U.S. states, that multi-billion dollar market will naturally begin to affect the decisions that pro sports leagues make throughout their seasons, and sports reporter Derek Helling of PlayUSA examines the NFL’s choice of Super Bowl cities.

Having a Big Game in your city means lots of visitors which translates into a big money bump for area businesses – stadium, restaurants, parking facilities, bars and nightclubs, hotels and motels – and now with legal sports betting in place, it could mean a surge in wagers, as well.

Will that affect the NFL’s choice-making process when it comes to which city gets the Super Bowl? Helling points out that the next three Super Bowls are all located in cities where sports betting has been made legal:

• Super Bowl LVII – State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
• Super Bowl LVIII – Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Super Bowl LIX – Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana

Whether that was a coincidence or well-planned is unknown, but getting a Big Game brought to your city doesn’t happen overnight, according to PlayUSA, noting that Miami Super Bowl Host Committee President Michael Zimmer told Lauralys Shallow of CNN:  

“It takes a little over a year to put together a bid. It is about a 600-page document. What we do is go to the owners meeting, we pitch to the owners, and then the 32 owners vote on the cities they want to host the games.”

The question is how likely is it that only sports betting towns will be considered in future Super Bowl city decisions?

In terms of past trends, Helling notes that 30 of the 56 Super Bowls (almost 54%) played since the first one in 1967 have taken place in either California or Florida, but one of the major reasons for that was the desire to play the game in a city with comfortable winter weather.

PlayUSA reports that according to NBC Sports, the odds-on favorite to host Super Bowl LX is Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California where there is currently no legal sports betting and whether that changes in 2023 will be up to state and tribe leaders who are debating the issue.

Newly built stadiums are essentially immune to the weather thanks to the use of retractable roofing plus they are becoming entertainment centers with shopping areas, high roller amenities, and betting kiosks, so the weather doesn’t factor in as much anymore.

So how much does the NFL value sports betting?

Cities with legal sports betting do not necessarily create more revenue for the NFL, though according to PlayUSA they do get paid for advertisements around/inside stadiums, commercials in league/team media, licensing of official trademarks, and licensing of official data rights.

What’s of more value to the league, says Helling, is the promotional aspect that sports betting brings – driving up interest in the games which boosts ratings and streaming numbers so then broadcasters can charge more for ads and the NFL can charge more for broadcasting rights.

As the U.S. sports betting market continues to evolve, grow, and make money, it will no doubt affect the way sports do business in the future, a trend to keep an eye on to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with providing a quality sports products for the fans.