While millions of people will be watching Sunday’s Super Bowl just for the fun of it, there are plenty of folks who'll have a lot riding on whether the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49s win. That’s because a lot of people will have money on the game.
According to the American Gaming Association:
- Approximately $6.8 billion will be bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl
- More than 10% of Americans, or close to 26 million people, will bet on Sunday’s game, up 15% from last year.
- Of those bets, almost 4 million will be made at a sports book, which is a 25% increase from last year.
- Close to 5 million will bet through online or mobile platforms, both legally and illegally, which is up 19% from last year.
- Millions will place bets with a bookie, in a pool or squares contest, or simply amongst friends and family.
So, who is everyone betting for?
- Well, the poll finds that 52% of Americans will be putting their money on the Chiefs to win, while 49% will bet on the 49ers.
Next to filling out a bracket to NCAA March Madness, buying a square in a Super Bowl pool is one of the easiest ways to do some gambling at work, a party or your local bar.
The Washington Post analyzed which numbers have come up at the end of each quarter of all NFL games since 2015, and they determined the best square to have is 0-0. That combination happened at the end of 8% of quarters of all games over the past five seasons. It returns an average of $2 per $1 bet.
The next best square is 7-0, followed by 3-0, 4-0 and 0-3. The worst boxes to have? Anything including 9, 8 or 5.