The dust is settling on another enthralling NFL campaign and it was perhaps fitting that it was Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs who celebrated after winning Super Bowl LVIII.
After Kelce’s high-profile relationship with pop sensation Taylor Swift stole global headlines throughout the campaign, betting lines on the tight-end have shot up in popularity.
This is something noted in bet365’s data following the Big Game. Speaking exclusively to SBC Americas, bet365 explained that while the Super Bowl threatened to be a loss-maker for them in a similar fashion to Super Bowl LVII, this year’s edition was ultimately a success thanks to its same game parlay feature and player prop offering.
bet365 Trading Lead Aron Wattleworth said: “Last year’s epic NFL finale was the worst in recent memory for bet365, and with the two outright favourites lining up against each other in Las Vegas, it threatened to be a similar story this time around. While there were plenty of winning bets for our customers this time around, the low scoring nature of the game meant it wasn’t the hammering that we’d feared.
“Although main game lines weren’t great results, namely moneyline and spread, the overall player prop results helped offset this.”
In a tense climax to the NFL season, bet365 customers were celebrating along with Patrick Mahomes and his teammates following numerous boosts, same game parlay and offers landing throughout the event.
The English-headquartered operator explained that the Chiefs were seen by many experts as slight underdogs, but defied the odds just as they had in their Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills and their AFC Championship victory against the Baltimore Ravens.
As anticipation grew ahead of the game, it was the Chiefs that were drawing support from bet365 customers. Almost 73% of all outright bets on Sunday were placed on Andy Reid’s team to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy, compared to 27% of outright bets placed on the 49ers.
The biggest noise before the game surrounded Chiefs tight end Kelce, and his pop-star girlfriend. Indeed bet365 released a number of Swift-themed specials in recognition of the pair. Such bets included “22: Travis Kelce to Record 22+ Receiving Yards in Each Half” and “The Last Time: Travis Kelce to Record the Last Reception in the Game”.
Wattleworth explained that, amid the Chiefs picking up their second consecutive Super Bowl with the brilliance of Patrick Mahomes, it was Kelce that stole the show from a betting perspective.
Kelce’s involvement with Swift has led to the “Swiftie” impact – by which fans of the pop star have jumped onto the Chiefs bandwagon and placed bets on the love interest of their idol.
bet365’s trade lead explained that the weekend saw an extraordinary amount of action on Kelce’s performance. He added: “We saw more bets placed on Kelce to score a TD than we did on San Francisco to win the game, a trend that continued right up until kickoff.
“Kelce was by far the most popular Anytime TD bet followed by Christian McCaffrey. The market for Anytime TD Scorer was the second most popular backed market after the Money Line. With namely – Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, as well as some other well backed players held without TDs, it was the most successful market for bet365 overall.
“Almost as popular as Kelce are bet365’s Bet Builders. Almost 56% of all bets before the Big Game were placed on Bet Builders, with customers around the world enjoying the ability to combine the most popular markets from the NFL Championship game into one bet.”
US expansion continues with AZ launch
bet365 has been building up its US presence in the last few years, expanding now to nine states. Wattleworth noted that there was an interesting mix of results across those states, explaining that bettors in those states who may traditionally have rivalries with the Chiefs fare worse than bettors elsewhere.
He explained: “Of all States’ action, Colorado customers fared the best overall, followed by Iowa, Arizona and Virginia, where these states saw less overall San Francisco 49ers support (approx. avg KC to SF %77-23). Ohio and Indiana saw more San Francisco support, which is likely due more to not wanting to see Kansas City win as an AFC rival (CIN, CLE, INDY – approx Avg %72-28). Louisiana saw the most San Francisco support, which may have also been due to many wanting to see the NFC team win (%70-30).”
Looking at bet365’s US strategy in detail, it is clear that Ohio is at the cornerstone of its ambitions. In the Buckeye State’s monthly revenue reports, bet365 is consistently in the top five best performing operators, primarily driven by consistent promotional credit spending. In the first quarter of 2023, the firm spent $45m in promotional credit.
“Whether it’s the eternal optimism surrounding the Browns and Bengals or the Cavs eradicating a generational championship curse, Ohio fans possess an undeniable passion for sports, no matter the season,” bet365 told SBC Americas when asked about its enthusiasm for the state.
“Since our launch in 2023, their deeply-rooted fervor and enthusiasm has fit perfectly for our exceptional lineup of products, promotions, boosts, same game parlays and live streaming, and like them, we can’t wait until the next game.”
The operator’s US ambitions haven’t appeared to slow down at all. In fact, 2024 has gotten off to a quick start as bet365 secured its market entry into Arizona ahead of the Super Bowl.
Undoubtedly a boost to trading for the Big Game, the Grand Canyon State offers an enormous opportunity, bet365 explained, thanks to its reputation as an established host of championship games which included Super Bowl LVII in 2023.
“Like its triple digit summer temperatures, Arizona’s sports scene is hot,” Wattleworth told SBC Americas. “It routinely hosts incredible championship events and Never Ordinary fan-favorite moments, while serving as the home to the Cardinals, Suns, Mercury, Diamondbacks and many other franchises.
“Now new bettors from the Valley to the Four Corners and everywhere in between can enjoy the bet365 experience. Additionally, we are excited to support our launch in the Grand Canyon State with a $1m charitable donation to our partners at the Ak-Chin Indian Community for local initiatives designed to make a positive impact in the lives of tribal members.”
After a successful weekend of trading during the Super Bowl weekend, primarily thanks to its same game parlay and player prop products, bet365 is hoping that this will serve as a catalyst for the entire year.
The firm is seeking to place emphasis on its Daily LineUps free-to-play game which is live in New Jersey and Virginia, while further states are being lined up for this product.
However, above all, the operator is intent on delivering a positive experience for its players to help replicate some of its famed successes in Europe into the US.
Wattleworth concluded: “bet365 is committed to delivering on its promises of being ‘never ordinary’. With our standout range of products, we’re looking to build on our recent expansion across North America, and create epic moments of customer enjoyment across all of the best loved sports.”
