Record number of online betting transactions reported over NFL opening weekend

Opening weekend of the 2021 NFL season saw a record-breaking number of gamblers placing online bets as more states move to legalize sports betting.

At least 58 million transactions took place across 18 states and D.C. between Thursday and Sunday, according to GeoComply Solutions, a company that verifies a person’s location before they can place a sports bet. 

The company said these figures represent a 126 percent increase from the same period of the 2020 NFL season. 

While the number of verification attempts does not track exactly with the number of bets actually placed, the data is a good indicator for the minimum number of bets, according to ABC News.

The spike in sports gambling is likely due to the movement to legalize sports betting across the U.S. following New Jersey’s victory in a 2018 Supreme Court case on the issue.

Since then, 26 states in addition to Washington, D.C., have legalized some form of sports betting, and Ohio and Massachusetts currently have active legislation surrounding the issue, according to the American Gaming Association.