America's Biggest Gamble: Super Bowl Special Edition Pt. 2

Last week, The ELI Report revealed that America’s K-Shaped Economy will deepen its emotional divide on Super Bowl Sunday, with 63 million viewers split: some see ads as tradition, others as reminders of struggles. As the game nears, we examine the financial risk: sports gambling is reaching desperate levels among financially-anxious Americans.

54% of Super Bowl LX viewers plan to bet nearly $2 billion on the game, a 27% increase from last year. But this industry's growth hides a darker reality: sportsbooks typically take about 10% of every bet, while only 3% of their bettors earn a profit over the long run. As with all commercial gambling, the house wins by design.

While casino gambling continued its slow, steady decline in 2025, 90% of bets are now placed through mobile apps such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, where the friction between impulse and wager is a single tap. As economic anxiety grows for many Americans, so has the rate of gambling addiction, literally changing the face of the American gambler in the years since online sports betting was legalized. Online searches for help with compulsive gambling have increased by 23% in recent years, with the fastest growth among women and people under age 25.

For most bettors, the wager will stay under $100—beer money, bragging rights, a reason to care about the coin toss. But for the growing minority funding bets with credit card cash advances (24%), personal loans (16%), or payday loans (12%), Sunday night’s final score will set off a financial hangover across multiple consumer categories that will compound through March Madness, baseball season, and the remainder of 2026.‍

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$1.8 billion Projected total Super Bowl wagers, up 27% from 2025.

97% Of online gamblers operate at a net loss over time.

24% Of online gamblers have used a credit card advance to place a bet.

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SPORTS BETTING: DEEPENING AMERICANS' FINANCIAL DESPERATION

Among 63 million Super Bowl viewers, those facing financial difficulties are over twice as likely to visit betting sites, four times more interested in online gambling, and nearly three times more likely to have played the lottery last year (50% vs. 18%).

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Unlike recreational bettors, many cash-strapped Americans—over half with revolving credit balances nearing $8,000—see wagering as part of a financial strategy. They use “Buy Now, Pay Later” platforms to extend payments and seek new credit cards and loans to stay afloat.

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The sports betting industry is aware of the problem. DraftKings banned credit card deposits in August 2025 after a $450,000 fine for illegal bets in Massachusetts. Eight states now ban credit card funding for sportsbooks. Where accepted, such deposits are cash advances with fees, interest over 25%, and                                                                                                                                     no grace period.

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With 52% of Americans carrying a monthly credit card balance, every loss deepens their debt. Americans will spend $18.6 billion on Super Bowl Sunday, roughly $92 per viewer. Average party
spending is $215 on food and drinks, $25 more than last year. Chicken wings are up 25%, veggie trays 19%, and chips 5%. In Miami, residents will spend 17% of weekly earnings on game day, leading to a debt hangover lasting months or years.

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How the Super Bowl’s Financial Footprint Will Leave its Mark on 2026

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1. CREDIT CARD CASH ADVANCES WILL SPIKE IN FEBRUARY 2026.

24% of sports bettors have already used credit card cash advances to fund wagers. With $1.76 billion in projected betting and only 3% of bettors profitable long-term, roughly $1.5 billion in net losses will hit consumers in early February, resulting in a month-over month increase of 15-20% in cash advance volume.

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2. ONLINE GAMBLING WILL SURFACE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

Clinicians will increasingly see online gambling as a dangerous delusion, with only 3% profiting from it, while as many as 90% believe it’s a viable income source. One in six online sports bettors has a gambling problem, and 45% of pro football bettors lose more than they can afford. The suicide rate among those with gambling disorders is 15 times higher than the general population. A report by mid-March will link app-based betting to severe mental health issues, especially among younger males, 13% of whom gamble beyond their means online.

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3. THE SUPER BOWL WILL CONTRIBUTE MORE TO CONSUMER DEBT THAN ECONOMIC GROWTH.

$18.6 billion in single-day spending seems like economic activity, but 63 million party hosts averaging $215 each are doing so in an economy with a 52% increase in credit card delinquency year-over-year and 10.3% under-30 delinquency. Most viewers—98%—exhibit gig worker behaviors, and 47% use Klarna—are financing the party, not paying for it. Their credit cards already carry $7,886 balances at 22–24% APR. February statements will reveal the damage, and by April, Super Bowl weekend will add to the upward pressure on delinquency rates that Sooth has tracked since Q3 2024.

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4. THE DEBT HANGOVER WILL HIT HARDEST IN AMERICA’S DEEP SOUTH.

Mississippi already leads the nation at 37% credit card delinquency, with Louisiana at 32%, and Alabama at 31%. These are also among the states with the newest and most aggressively marketed mobile sports betting markets. The Super Bowl’s surge in party spending, betting losses, and credit-driven consumption will especially impact areas where the financial situation is already weakest. Delinquency rates in the Midwest and Northeast will remain fairly stable, while the Deep South corridor’s delinquency rates will approach 40% by spring.

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5. WOMEN WILL BECOME THE FASTEST-GROWING CRISIS SEGMENT IN SPORTS BETTING BY SUMMER.

Women now make up 29% of problem gamblers, up from 18% in 2020, the fastest increase among demographics. Sooth data indicates the number could surpass one in three by the end of 2026, as the industry targets women through social media, celebrity partnerships, and lifestyle branding, framing betting as entertainment.

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DATA SOURCES FOR THIS EDITION OF THE ELI REPORT

Insights are based on Sooth’s patent-pending methodology, which analyzes over 100 million intent signals from 220 million anonymized US adults to predict, with 91% accuracy, how their emotional, practical, and situational needs will influence their buying decisions and the subsequent impact on people, businesses, and the economy. In addition, the following sources were used for corroborating data and qualification of predictive insights:

54% plan to bet / $1.76B handle / 22% of adults plan to wager: American Gaming Association Super Bowl Survey, 2026 • 3% of bettors profitable long-term / 78–85% lose annually: Journal of Gambling Studies • Sportsbooks retain ~10%: Nevada Gaming Control Board / industry reporting • 52.4% win rate to break even: Standard -110 vig calculation • Average bettor spends $3,284/year: U.S. gambling industry survey, 2025 • 24% used credit card cash advances / 16% personal loans / 12% payday loans: U.S. News & World Report gambling survey • 16% meet disordered gambling criteria / 13% compulsive signs: National Council on Problem Gambling, 2025 • 86% believe they can profit / 90% of 18–34: NCPG annual survey • Maryland +42% problem gambling: Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling • 4.2M with severe consequences / 13.4% young male prevalence: NCPG national prevalence study • 45% of NFL bettors lost more than they could afford: Optimove 2025 study • DraftKings credit card ban: Massachusetts Gaming Commission, August 2025 • $18.6B total spending / $92 per person / $215 average host: National Retail Federation, 2025 • Wings +25%, veggie trays +19%: Instacart Super Bowl data • $1.233T credit card debt / 4.29% charge-off rate / $7,886 average balance: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Q3 2025 • 10.3% under-30 delinquency / 52% YOY increase: NY Fed Consumer Credit Panel • Mississippi 37% / Louisiana 32% / Alabama 31% delinquency: TransUnion state-level data • $3,800 average refund / One Big Beautiful Bill: IRS filing season projections, Congressional Budget Office • Behavioral audience data: Sooth ELI platform, 63M U.S. consumer sample, January 2026

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About Sooth & ELI

Sooth is the predictive intelligence company decoding the 93% of human decisions driven by emotional, practical, and situational needs. Powered by ELI — Sooth’s exclusive Emotional Logic Interface — Sooth uncovers hidden signals, turning audience behavior into predictive foresight. Sooth’s patent-pending methodology uses artificial intelligence to cross-reference more than 100 million intent signals with data on 300 million individuals worldwide to predict buyer tendencies with 91% predictive accuracy. For more information, visit soothbetold.com.

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