States that have enforced against offshore operators see greater sportsbook engagement during Super Bowl

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Vancouver-based igaming geolocation and compliance firm GeoComply has reported a notable peak in engagement on licensed sportsbooks during the Super Bowl in states that have taken enforcement action against offshore operators.

GeoComply reported a 14% increase in active player accounts across its online sportsbook customers during the Super Bowl weekend compared to last year, with 724,400 new online wagering accounts in regulated states.

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The company reported that the growth rate was twice as high in states that had taken enforcement action against illegal offshore sportsbooks.

Since last year’s Super Bowl, 17 US states have issued cease-and-desist orders against at least one prominent illegal sportsbook.

“When states take enforcement action, we see a correlation with increased engagement on our customer’s platforms,” said Anna Sainsbury, GeoComply Chief Executive and Co-Founder.

“More fans are choosing legal sportsbooks, driven by stronger consumer protections and enhanced user experiences. This means even greater tax revenues to support local communities and promote responsible growth while reducing reliance on illegal sportsbooks.”

Elsewhere, the Super Bowl LIX Sunday night was BetMGM’s single biggest betting event to date, with the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22.

“It took the most bets and was one of the best single game results in company history,” said Christian Cipollini, Senior Trading Manager, BetMGM. “Super Bowl bettors cashed in on Eagles money line and Jalen Hurts Super Bowl MVP, but both defenses slowing down Saquon Barkley and Travis Kelce netted a great result for us.”

One individual was noted to have wagered US$800,000 on the Eagles at +110.

Over at Caesars Sportsbook, the Eagles closed as 1.5-point underdogs and +100 on the Money Line before kickoff. Underdogs are now 11-7 SU and 13-5 ATS in the last 18 Super Bowls. For just the second time in the last seven Super Bowls, the game went over the total (49.5).

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took home Super Bowl MVP (+340) honors, going 17-for-22 with 221 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.

“Overall, Super Bowl LIX was a decent result for the sportsbook, as more customers backed the Chiefs in this game and in the futures pool than the Eagles,” said Joey Feazel, Head of Football at Caesars Sportsbook.

“There were a variety of touchdown scorers, which would usually be favorable to the customers, but unfortunately Saquon Barkley was the most popular SGP leg and he did not see the end zone. Looking ahead to next year, we have adjusted the Eagles from +700 to +625 and the Chiefs from +580 to +650 to win Super Bowl LX.”