Nearly $5 Billion USD in Bets Will Be Placed on Super Bowl LI

According to a report from the American Gaming Association, an estimated $4.7 billion USD in bets will be placed by Americans on Super Bowl LI this Sunday. Because Nevada is the only state that legally allows sports gambling, 97% of the aforementioned sum (approximately $4.5 billion USD) will be placed illegally, mainly through underground means and offshore sites. That’s an 11% increase from Super Bowl L’s numbers.

As Forbes reports:

The AGA represents the $240 billion USD U.S. casino industry and has been a vocal advocate for a change of federal law, which currently precludes states (other than Nevada) from allowing individuals to wager on the outcomes of individual games. It has cited to a September 2016 report, which concluded that legalized and regulated sports betting is a necessary condition to preserve and protect the integrity of sports, not a detriment to the integrity of sports.

Yet, National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell has remained steady in his position that the league enforce the current federal law that largely prohibits sports betting throughout the U.S., which was originally implemented to protect the integrity professional and amateur sports. Even though the Oakland Raiders appear destined to move to Las Vegas, Goodell has not wavered on his belief that the federal law should remain in place.

Whether it’s legal or not, people are going to bet on the game. As of Tuesday, the New England Patriots are three-point favorites over the Atlanta Falcons.