Given the banner 2023 that sports betting was across the United States when it came to handle and operator revenue, it made sense that would revisit an interesting recent “What if…” for Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday between the San Francisco 49ers and reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.
What would the projected Super Bowl handle be in California if sports betting was legal there?
The Golden State remains the largest market in the country without sports wagering, with a hopeful timeline for legalization pointing to 2027, when Los Angeles will play host to Super Bowl LXI, or 2028, when the city hosts the Summer Olympics. For sports wagering to be legalized, however, commercial and tribal operators must find some common ground, something lacking in 2022 when the tribes successfully convinced state residents to resoundingly vote down a proposal for statewide mobile betting apps. A ballot initiative filed for the 2024 election was also recently nixed, as the tribes again showed force and unity with strenuous opposition.
Meanwhile, took to the spreadsheets, state revenue reports, and chalkboard to come up with an estimate of just how much California bettors would wager if presented the opportunity to have some action on the biggest game of the U.S. sports betting calendar.