With the NFL season kicking off, Gaming America spoke exclusively with FanDuel and BetMGM (UK), to discuss what we can expect from the upcoming season.
The American Gaming Association reported that 28% of American adults (73.5 million) plan to bet on the NFL this season; 14% (35.1 million) plan to place a bet online; and 5% (13.6 million) of US adults plan to place a bet at a physical sportsbook.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicked the season off last night, although last year's Super Bowl winner fell to a 21-20 opening-day defeat to the Detroit Lions.
FanDuel
We should be in store for our biggest season yet for betting on the NFL. Karol Corcoran, SVP and GM of FanDuel Sportsbook, told Gaming America, “This is going to be the most competitive NFL environment to date, as more and more sports wagering options become available for fans.”
FanDuel has created a new addition to its platform called FanDuel Explore. The new addition aims to provide a simplified betting experience. He continued, “We’re also excited about our category prop bet offering where customers can bet their favorite players before and during the game with our Live SGP product. “
Often surrounding sports seasons, special offers are rewarded and that remains true for this football season, so FanDuel has partnered with YouTube to provide fans a deal on an NFL Sunday ticket.
Even though the season has started, until September 18, new customers who place a $5 bet will receive $200 in bonus bets and $100 off NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube.
Existing customers are also eligible for $100 off an NFL Sunday ticket when they bet $5. Additionally, FanDuel will provide a variety of promotions and offers throughout the season.
Commenting on who we can expect to lead the season, Corcoran states, “We are noticing a lot of wagers on all things Philadelphia Eagles this year as they rebound from their Super Bowl loss. Currently, they have the highest percentage of bets to win the Super Bowl this year.
“Additionally, Quarterback Jalen Hurts has the highest percentage of bets to win MVP, while their rookie Defensive Tackle Jalen Carter has the highest percentage of bets to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.”
BetMGM UK
Sam Behar, BetMGM Group Director UK, disclosed that the last NFL season was BetMGM’s eighth-biggest sport in terms of turnover in the UK, proving that the popularity of American football is growing.
Behar expanded, “In the UK and continental Europe, the Super Bowl has always been the dominant event of the season. The match between the Eagles and Chiefs was at least 34% greater than any regular season game and 50% of all NFL season customers bet on the Super Bowl 23.
“At the start of the season, most customers have – as expected – backed the last season's winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, to retain their title (6/1). But interestingly, we have also seen almost one third of the total amount wagered placed on the Cincinnati Bengals (10/1), who are fifth favorites to win the Super Bowl.
“When it comes to individual players, our customers believe that the 27-year-old quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, will win his second consecutive MVP title.”
Furthermore, BetMGM revealed that spread lines (handicaps and points) generated 60% of turnover and markets like ‘total receiving yards’ and ‘total rushing yards’ made up almost 15% of turnover last season.
Due to this, Behar stated, “We expect this to grow in the 23/24 season along with our preset match parlays. All in all, we have exciting times ahead at BetMGM and we are looking forward to an adrenaline-fueled NFL season!”
