(WXMI) — We have finally reached Super Bowl weekend — the most popular weekend of any sporting event every single year.
More eyes means more money. With sports gambling legal across more than half the country — including in Michigan — the Super Bowl is also the most bet-on event every year. While the numbers for Sunday's game might catch people's attention, the betting trends in Michigan probably won't surprise anyone.
“There's going to be a record number of legal regulated bets in the United States, again, just like there is every year as more and more states come on," said Matt Schoch, an analyst with PlayMichigan.com, which is part of a global company that covers the gambling industry.
Last year, the American Gaming Association said, nationally, people wagered $4.3 billion on the Super Bowl. This year, that number jumped 78% to $7.6 billion.
Schoch said, in Michigan, more than $40 million in bets is expected.
“We have been known to have our projections come up a little bit short sometimes," he said. "So it's probably going to be maybe even more than $40 million wagered on Sunday.”
This is only Michigan's second year in which people can legally gamble on the Super Bowl. It's no surprise the numbers are through the roof.
“That was the third week of regulated sports betting in Michigan last year," Schoch told FOX 17. "So it was a new market. We expect, obviously, it's going to be a lot more the year-over-year, the month-over-month totals. This year will be no doubt bigger than last year.”
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Where the bets are placed is a storyline in itself. BetMGM is live in 20 states, and every single one of them has more tickets placed on the Bengals to beat the Rams — except for Michigan.
“The LA Rams don't have that national following," he said. "I think the Joe Burrow story, the underdog story, his success in college as well — I think that's translated with betters around the country....but the Matthew Stafford tug is just too hard [in Michigan].”
Of course, prop bets are always a pull too, such as who will win the coin toss, how long the national anthem will be, and what color will the Gatorade bath will be for the winning coach.
However, be careful, because, as the saying goes, "the house always wins."
“I know who's gonna win the coin toss, and it's gonna be the sports books," Schoch said. "They go on either side of it, and they give you a 'minus one' or three odds. So whatever way the heads or tails are going to go, they're going to get a little cut off of that. So that's my analysis on it.”
Right now, Schoch said you can't legally bet on most of the quirky prop bets in Michigan, including the Gatorade bath. However, last year the Michigan Gaming Control Board changed that right before the Super Bowl, so that might be the case again this year.
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addition or compulsive gambling, call the Michigan Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-270-7117.
READ MORE: Michigan Gaming Control Board warns of unregulated gambling sites
