The year 2022 proved to be a landmark one for legal sports betting in many ways, but in terms of where the betting action was being placed, the names that frequently came up are unsurprising.
BetMGM released its 2022 end of year review, revealing which teams, games and players had the most wagers throughout the year.
As you may expect, Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and the Bengals was the most significantly bet on game in 2022. The two games that slotted in behind were the games that preceded the Super Bowl, the AFC and NFC Championship games.
In the former, the Bengals upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium while in the latter, the Rams beat the 49ers 20-17.
American football will always set the pace in terms of betting in the United States, and that will remain the case as long as the sport is played.
However, as the prop market and its widespread acceptance grew in 2022, so did the betting handle on individual players in other sports, particularly basketball and baseball.
Aaron Judge, the New YorkYankees slugger who broke the American Leaguehome run record, was the most bet on individual player of the year. Following behind Judge was Stephen Curry, who led the Golden State Warriors to yet another NBA Finals victory.
When you look at the most successful big wagers of the year, BetMGM took four winning bets of $1 million or more. The biggest was a $2 million wager on the HoustonAstros to win the World Series at +500, placed by James McIngvale, who is more commonly known as Mattress Mack.
BetMGM did not provide the number of wagers at $1 million or more that lost.
When we take a step outside of the football world, the most popular betting events of 2022 are widespread. The Masters was the most bet on event excluding football games, and the NCAA basketball tournament title game between North Carolina and Kansas accounted for the event with the greatest handle outside of football.
2023 will likely be another pivotal year in the world of legal sports betting, but will we see similar trends follow suit?
