GeoComply has reported a 22.3% year-on-year increase in geolocation checks during Super Bowl LVIII weekend.
Last night (11 February), Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to land their second consecutive Super Bowl. The game took place at Nevada’s Allegiant Stadium, with GeoComply carrying out checks on betting activity over the whole weekend.
Checks took place in US states where sports betting is legal, as well as the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico. This does not include Florida, where the Seminole tribe launched online betting with Hard Rock Bet in November last year.
GeoComply says the increase in geolocation checks is positive for legal betting in the US. It says the rise underscores a shift towards a regulated, taxed and safe betting environment.
Record pre-game activity
Other key data from GeoComply includes record pre-game activity. In the minutes before kick-off, 14.75 thousand transactions per second were reported, the highest on record and almost double last year’s peak.
GeoComply also noted a 15% increase in active accounts, with 8.5 million accounts reported across the 28 legal US markets. In addition, GeoComply reported over 1.7 million new users signed up for legal online betting accounts in the two weeks prior to Super Bowl LVIII.
Looking to the entire 2023-24 NFL season, GeoComply customers added more than 13.7 million new accounts. This is 28% higher than in the previous campaign.
“The continued transition to the legal market set the stage for a historic first Super Bowl in Las Vegas and the record-breaking results we saw did not disappoint,” GeoComply co-founder and CEO Anna Sainsbury said.
“We are proud to help foster the growth of a regulated industry that puts accountability, security and player protection at the forefront. Compliance drives our mission. With that commitment, we strive to help our customers reliably and responsibly expand the player funnel and boost their businesses.
“Every year the legal market grows is good news for consumers and states and bad news for illegal offshore sportsbooks that become marginalised.”
The Sin City Super Bowl
More data from Super Bowl LVIII in terms of betting volumes will likely be released over the coming weeks. Ahead of the game, the American Gaming Association (AGA) forecast record activity for the big game.
The AGA said Americans would bet $23.10bn (£18.30bn/€21.44bn) on the Super Bowl. This was based on a survey of 2,204 adults to predict wagering activity, with the expected total being 35.0% higher than Super Bowl LVII.
A record 67.8 million people were expected to bet, up 35.0% from Super Bowl LVII. Of those betting, 42.7 million were set to do so online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookmaker.
Prior to kick-off, Buck Wargo penned a special article for iGB, looking at the impact hosting the Super Bowl could have on Las Vegas.
