The NFL championship game is widely considered the biggest sports game of the entire year, especially in the US. Here are some general facts about the recent history regarding the big game:
- The 49th NFL Championship (2015) holds the record for highest TV viewership out of all pro football championship games to date, with about 114.4-million views. This number is 2.3 million more viewers than last year. Will this rise, fall or stabilize in 2017’s game? We are about to find out.
- The 50th NFL championship game had a record-breaking 132.55 million dollars worth of wagers this past year. As you can see below, gambling on this game has been back on the rise since 2009. Can this be attributed to increasing (legal) access to online betting mediums such as mobile apps? Very possibly.
[Image sourced from Statista.com]
- Odds are already out for the 2017-18 game. People cannot get their football wagering fix soon enough. The Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers are the two biggest longshots at 300/1 odds, while the New England Patriots are the favorites with 6/1 odds.
- Over the last ten years, the cost of a 30-second commercial has risen from $2.7 million to $5 million. While watching good football and crowning a champion is important, don’t forget the main focus of this game from a business standpoint is to make money and spread brand awareness.
While it is commonly associated with hot wings and good times, some big game-related things can go awry if you participate in illicit or problematic gambling. Not all sports betting is problematic. Unfortunately, a massive amount of betting is done illegally. Unregulated, illicit gambling has many negatives.
Bookmakers and enforcers do not have a set schedule for payouts and collections. This means that if you win, you do not know if or when you can get your profits, and if you lose, you have to arrange a time and place to make a payment. Most of the time, money exchanges are not done electronically (to avoid being tracked), meaning that all involved parties are unsure if they will ever get the money they are owed. Even worse, underground gambling rings use illegal methods of intimidation to encourage their “customers” to pay up.
If you or anybody you know needs help with a gambling addiction, call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER. As Neva Pryor, Executive Director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey says, “Hope awaits.”
If you want to stop illegally wagering off-site at racetracks near Monmouth, NJ, or learn how to quit gambling in NJ altogether, the CCGNJ is here to help.