Sportsbooks Post Record Numbers During NFL’s Week 1

The legal sports betting market posted record numbers in the U.S. following the start of the 2021 NFL season. 

Beginning with Thursday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers through Sunday’s action, 58.2 million online sports betting transactions took place in the U.S., a 126% increase year-over-year, according to GeoComply.

“It’s probably going to be one of our biggest weekends ever,” DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello told ESPN. 

Sportsbooks in 18 states and the District of Columbia benefited from the record-setting stretch. 

• New Jersey reported the highest volume of transactions (12.5 million) of the 18 states.
• Arizona saw more than 271,000 new accounts combine for more than 6.1 million transactions. 
• Nevada’s sports betting handle experienced a 20% increase year-over-year for the four days. 

The NFL has deals with seven sportsbook operators. 

The league’s agreements with Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel are worth close to $1 billion combined, and each spans five years. Last month, the NFL also secured deals with FOX Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, and WynnBet. 

Pro football isn’t the only lucrative market for sportsbooks. 

Nevada saw its sportsbooks take in 50% more college football action on the Saturday before Labor Day compared to the same period in 2019, according to Jeff Stoneback, director of BetMGM sportsbooks in the state.