Super Bowl fever has descended on the United States – and although the game doesn't happen until Sunday, it's already breaking gambling records.
For the first time ever, wagers on the Super Bowl are projected to surpass $20 billion.
Sports fans plan to wager an estimated $23.1 billion on this year's big game, according to survey results release by the American Gaming Association. That's a 44% jump over last year's amount, which totaled $16 billion.
The survey shows a record 67.8 million adults are expected to bet on the 49ers-Chiefs game. That comes out to one in four U.S. residents, and is a 35% increase from last year.
Bettors are nearly split on the outcome of the game with 47% planning to bet on the Kansas City Chiefs and 44% planning to bet on the San Francisco 49ers, the AGA said.
With the expansion of legal sports betting, traditional Super Bowl wagers are expected to pass casual wagers for a second consecutive year.
The survey shows 42.7 million American adults plan to place a traditional sports wager online, at a retail sportsbook or with a bookie -- up 41 percent from 2023. Another 36.5 million plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool or squares contest -- up 32% from 2023.