You might have been bored by the not-so-Superbowl last night (at least the better team won this year). Several non-football fans I know chose to go see the Becoming Led Zeppelin documentary instead (they raved).

But neither the game nor Zep’s origin story was the biggest story last night. Rather, the most intriguing aspect of last night was the gambling. Sports betting on Super Bowl LIX (2025) was estimated at more than $1.5 billion — a 15% increase compared to 2024. This football season saw projections for betting by Americans at $35 billion with legal sportsbooks. Overall, sports gambling is now worth about $150 billion per year.

Why do sports fan and gambling junkies keep coming back to throw good money at games? A fascinating new study suggests the answer. The Wall Street Journal discussed this;1  BusinessWeek went into the social aspects of gambling.

But the key academic takeaway is

Keep reading this article on Barry Ritholtz - The Big Picture.

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