Despite High-Powered Offense, Regulated Market No Match For Black Market

New analysis by YieldSec, commissioned by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) and reported in The Guardian, reveals that illegal betting on the Super Bowl continues to outpace legal betting. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Super Bowl bets cast were illegal.

Eager to bring needed balance and credible evidence to gambling policymaking, CFG partnered with YieldSec to measure the split of total gambling share between legal and illegal markets. A full report on the state of illegal versus legal gambling markets will be released in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the Super Bowl analysis below begins to demonstrate that — despite ubiquitous saturation marketing — the regulated gambling market hasn’t dented the black market.

Key findings:

• Total Market Size: There were 350 million total bets placed on this year’s Super Bowl (122 legal + 228 illegal), at a total value of $5.4 billion ($1.4 billion legal + $4 billion illegal), as compared to 286 million total bets (100 legal + 186 illegal) and $4.5 billion wagered on last year’s game ($1.1 billion legal + $3.4 billion illegal).
• Growth: The legal market grew by 22 million bets since last year, with a $258 million increase in the total value of bets. There have been 42 million more illegal Super bowl bets — and $546 million more illegally wagered — than last year.
• Market Share: The illegal market comprises 65% of the overall Super Bowl gambling market, with $4 billion wagered versus the legal market delivering just 35% share and $1.4 billion in total bet value.

“The legal gambling sector sold lawmakers across America the mirage of the regulated market supplanting the black market,” said CFG founder and funder Derek Webb. “The legal gambling sector, which should be disappointed, has thus far been allergic to any and all federal involvement. We hope America’s legal gambling sector and its trade groups will reconsider and join us in calling for a federal crackdown on illegal gambling.”

“It’s troubling to see the proximity of illegal gambling to our audiences and the core of the Super Bowl’s conversation and commerce,” said YieldSec founder and CEO Ismail Vali. “With illegal brands capturing nearly two-thirds of all bets on the game, the challenge of shifting control from illegal to legal operators in the online betting and gaming marketplace is more apparent than ever.”

“Our monitoring underscores the significant growth of illegal gambling activities, which not only threatens the integrity of sports and the gambling industry but also hampers the potential for increased revenues, tax contributions, and consumer protection. The data post-Super Bowl 2024 underscores the critical need for a united effort to regulate, police, and enforce the online gambling marketplace,” Vali concluded.

The Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) exists to advance a politically bipartisan and scientifically evidenced agenda of gambling reform. CFG will be active across America because the nationwide debate over gambling needs more balance and trustworthy data. For more information, visit www.fairergambling.com or follow @fairergambling on X.

YieldSec is a technical intelligence platform that helps monitor, police, enforce, and optimize the total marketplace across online betting, gaming, and lottery activity. The innovative technology optimizes marketplace performance and activity, ensuring a secure and transparent environment. Yield Sec provides precise insights for informed decision-making, operational efficiency, and robust regulatory compliance. Yield Sec’s mission focuses on removing criminal threats to revenue, taxation, and consumer safety, benefiting the ecosystem overall.