As the New England Patriots prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 on , a new dynamic is unfolding in the world of sports betting: the home-team effect. For the first time, fans in Maine can legally wager on their local team, and experts predict a significant surge in betting activity.
The state of Maine officially launched legal sports betting in , and this year’s Super Bowl marks a pivotal moment. While the Super Bowl is always the biggest betting event of the year, the Patriots’ participation is expected to amplify the action. Dustin Gouker, a gaming consultant and former writer at Legal Sports Report, anticipates a potential 25% increase in betting volume in Massachusetts alone, with similar gains likely across New England.
Nationally, the American Gaming Association estimates that a total of $1.76 billion will be wagered on Super Bowl 60, a 27% increase from the previous year. Dave Forman, the AGA’s vice president of research, believes the Patriots’ presence will further fuel this growth, particularly in Maine. In , when the San Francisco 49ers faced the Kansas City Chiefs, Mainers wagered approximately $3.5 million. This year, Forman estimates that number could climb to $6 million, boosted by an additional $500,000 due to local enthusiasm.
The impact is already being felt at Maine’s two in-person sports betting locations: Oddfellahs Sportsbook and Bar in Portland and Oxford Casino. Dave Moran, the general manager at Oddfellahs, reports a substantial increase in betting volume throughout the past week, with a significant portion of wagers placed on the Patriots, despite the team being the underdog. This mirrors trends observed in other states with home-team contenders, such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl appearances in and .
However, the Patriots’ popularity among Maine bettors presents a potential financial wrinkle for the state. Maine receives 10% of sportsbook revenue, but a widespread Patriots victory could significantly reduce those earnings. Steven Silver, chair of the Maine Gambling Control Board, points to a similar scenario in New Hampshire during the Super Bowl, when Tom Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory, resulting in losses for the state’s sportsbooks.
The dynamic is rooted in fan behavior. Matt Perrault, host of the “Bostonian Vs. The Book” gambling podcast, observes that fans often feel compelled to bet more when their team is in the Super Bowl, sometimes abandoning logic in favor of emotional investment. “I think there’s a desire or some type of pressure that, because your team is in it, you’re supposed to bet or bet more,” he explained. “If you’re someone who only puts $100 down on a game, (when) it’s the Super Bowl, you might put $500.”
DraftKings sports operations director Johnny Avello anticipates that approximately 90% of bets placed in Maine will be on the Patriots, primarily on the money line – a straight bet on which team will win. Bettors are less likely to wager on the Patriots against the point spread, as Seattle is currently favored by 4.5 points.
Beyond traditional bets, prop bets – wagers on specific events within the game, such as the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach or individual player performances – are also expected to be popular. These bets often offer higher margins for sportsbooks, potentially offsetting some of the losses from a Patriots win. Moran at Oddfellahs notes the appeal of these “foolish bets” for casual fans.
While the financial implications for the state remain uncertain, the enthusiasm surrounding the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearance is undeniable. Some bettors, like Portland tech worker Bobby Jordan, even intentionally bet against their team as a form of emotional hedging, ensuring a win regardless of the outcome. “It’s almost like I’m trying to jinx myself and the Seahawks so that the Patriots win,” he said.
The Super Bowl 60 betting landscape in Maine is a microcosm of the broader trends shaping the legal sports betting industry: the power of local fandom, the allure of prop bets, and the complex interplay between fan emotion and financial outcomes. Whether Maine’s sportsbooks ultimately profit from the game remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the state is experiencing a level of Super Bowl excitement it hasn’t known before.
