Posted on: December 24, 2024, 10:22h.
Last updated on: December 24, 2024, 10:36h.
It wasn’t a masterpiece from a pure fighting perspective, but sportsbooks like BetMGM were smiling following the November fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Star Athletes Dominate
As we’ve reported, 27-year-old Paul defeated the 58-year-old Tyson in an eight-round unanimous decision that drew record betting numbers while also being a ratings bonanza as well.
At BetMGM, the fight was the most-bet combat sports (MMA and boxing) event in the history of the sportsbook.
“Enthusiasm from bettors and new markets led to a record-breaking year at BetMGM — one we will not forget. The NFL is still king, but star athletes like Jake Paul and Caitlin Clark captured the attention of fans and bettors in 2024,” said Don Forbes, BetMGM’s senior director of sports trading in a written statement.
Most-Bet Super Bowl
Paul-Tyson was one of the nuggets released by BetMGM in their 2024 Year End report, which the sportsbook said was a record-breaker.
Meanwhile, Super Bowl LVIII (won by the Kansas City Chiefs, 25-22, over the San Francisco 49ers) was the most-bet Super Bowl in the history of the sportsbook.
BetMGM, a sports betting and iGaming operator headquartered in New Jersey, was founded in 2018. The sportsbook’s year-end data also includes Ontario. BetMGM launched in that Canadian province in April 2022, the month the open, regulated iGaming market went live there.
WNBA Gains in Popularity
The 2024 MLB World Series between the LA Dodgers and New York Yankees (won by the Dodgers four games to one) was the most-bet World Series. The Indiana Fever versus Dallas Wings game on July 17 was the most bet WNBA game (the 2024 WNBA season was the most bet WNBA season).
In college sports, the Iowa versus South Carolina (NCAAW National Championship) game on April 7 was the most-bet NCAAW game in BetMGM history (the 2023-2024 NCAAW season was the most bet NCAAW season).
The most profitable event for customers in 2024 was the Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions on November 17 (a 52-6 Lions annihilation of the Jags).
Lazard Good for Bettors
The most profitable player for customers was wide receiver Allen Lazard of the New York Jets followed by Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Mixon of the Bengals/Houston Texas. The most profitable player for BetMGM was tight end Travis Kelce of the Chiefs followed by Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
We wrote previously on the “weird” start to the NFL season – six- and seven-point favorites going down at a hectic clip through Week 4. That was a good time for the sportsbooks, with underdogs prevailing, and scoring down.
Sportsbook directors did say that things would balance out, and that’s what happened. Sportsbooks took a beating in Week 6.
Looking at BetMGM’s top-10 single-game results for bettors, six of those were in the NFL’s Week 6.
For hockey fans, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers (won by the Panthers 2-1) was the most-bet game (tickets and handle).
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