HOUSTON — In 11 days, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will be facing off at the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas -- the city known as the gambling capital of the world.
It’s a state where sports betting happens to be legal. While it’s not legal in Texas, it is in neighboring states, such as Louisiana, where Texans often go to place their wagers. As we get closer to the big game, sports betters are looking to experts, like Senior Industry Analyst Jason Logan.
“We analyze the betting markets and we try to give actionable information to sports betting so that they can make smarter bets and therefore, you know, help win their bets,” Logan said.
Logan said the Super Bowl is where the big betters come out to play but it’s also where you see a lot of first-timers jump in.
“The public appeal and the money coming in from the average Joes outweighs whatever the professional guys can put out there,” Logan said.
He said a lot of people are interested in the fun bets that don’t necessarily have to do with the game itself.
“Who will appear on stage with Usher and what color will Taylor Swift wear? Or will Taylor Swift be wearing a hat? Will she not?” Logan said.
While Texans might make a drive to get in on the fun, prop bets aren't legal in every state where sports betting is legal.
“A lot of states that have legal sports betting have strict rules around what they can and cannot offer, and a lot of the things that they can't offer are things that can't be equated in the box score,” Logan said. “Some states have a little more relaxed rules around those sorts of things. You'll see some sports books that will have the color of the Gatorade to be bet on legally.”
If you’re not making the drive or flight to another state, you might be enticed to find an app or website that allows you to place a bet while being in Texas, but be careful -- that’s likely not legal, either, and not the safest thing to do.
“Chances are those things that pop up are going to be illegal sportsbooks,” Logan said. “They rake in a lot of money. They get to keep all that money too because they're not taxed or regulated.”
With a lot of eyes on the Super Bowl, Logan said we could see conversations on the legalization of sports betting expand.
“Surrounding states that may not have sports betting legalized. They're going to look at that and be like, wow, that's a lot of money that we could then put into whatever it is,” Logan said.
The Super Bowl is set to air on Sunday, Feb. 11 on KHOU.