The Philadelphia Eagles were not the only winners last Super Bowl weekend. According to preliminary data, the number of active accounts for legal sports betting operators increased by 14% compared to last year.
Technology provider GeoComply released its annual data report after the Super Bowl, showing a 14% year-over-year growth in active legal online sports betting accounts.
This is good news for the industry, especially considering that this year's game did not introduce new markets. Missouri voters legalized sports betting last November, but the market has not yet launched. GeoComply reported that over the weekend, from midnight on Saturday (February 8) to the end of the game on Sunday night, a total of 724,400 new accounts were created.
Another key finding of the report is the growth rate of active users in states that took action against illegal operators.
While specific markets or numbers were not disclosed, it is reported that the user growth in states that took enforcement actions was "twice that of states that did not take enforcement actions." Since last year's game, regulatory bodies in 14 states have issued cease and desist letters to at least one offshore operator.
Louisiana's COVID-19 Peak
For the third consecutive year, the game was held in a state with legal sports betting (Louisiana). The previous two games were held in Nevada and Arizona, respectively. According to GeoComply's report, around 60,400 accounts in New Orleans made approximately 535,000 geolocation transactions (bets) over the weekend.
There was a two-week period between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, during which transaction volume increased by 150% and user volume by 220%.
The peak of betting activity occurred just before halftime. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver AJ Brown, putting Philadelphia ahead 24-0 with 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the second quarter. GeoComply reported that at this moment, the rate of geolocation transactions surged to 14,300 per second. The Eagles never trailed in the game and ultimately won 40-22.
