Sports betting operators will be licking their lips during Thanksgiving week as it is set to be their busiest week of the year.
The American national holiday is widely celebrated and numerous sporting events revolve around this period. Sports fans and non-sports fans alike all over the USA watch the sport on offer during this week.
Everyone goes home for the holidays, where they will have time off work to kick back and relax. They can watch their favorite sports teams perform and place bets on the outcome.
This is the first Thanksgiving week since sports betting was legalized in the United States. Since the federal ban on sports betting was ended in May 2018 following a Supreme Court decision, many states have opened up sportsbooks.
Those offering sportsbooks so far include New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and New Mexico. Rhode Island is just missing out on this week, with its first sportsbook opening up on November 26 at the Twin Rivers Casino.
Sports and Thanksgiving
There was no better way to kick off Thanksgiving football than a record-setting NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs.
This match was the highest scoring in the history of Monday Night Football, with the Rams winning by 54 points to 51. It is also third in the rankings of the highest scoring games in the history of the league.
Viewing records for this match were the highest for the past four years. This is encouraging for the league as viewer numbers in recent years have been dropping.
Some will say rules changes and high scoring is playing a factor in this uptick. However, a large reason may be the legalization of sports betting in many states. People will place their bets and then make sure to tune into the games to see how they perform.
One of the fastest growing aspects of sports betting is in-play betting. This allows you to place bets on the outcome of certain markets while the game is ongoing. Therefore, you are going to be watching the games closely to spot opportunities.
This is only going to become more popular as further states start to allow mobile sports betting in the near future. New Jersey, for example, sees the majority of its sports betting intake through mobile betting apps rather than at offline locations.
The college football conferences usually position some of the best games around this time of year to maximize viewership. Thanksgiving is the week for rivals to battle each other. Some of the big games will include Alabama vs Auburn, Michigan vs Ohio State and Ole Miss vs Mississippi State. Many of these matches will also have significant consequences for championship games and bids for bowls.
Enthusiasm for sports betting
Sports betting is a very exciting and emotional activity. It draws people in, none more so than when the biggest rivals are going toe to toe with each other. The victors will have bragging rights over their opponent until the next time they play.
In addition to the two football seasons being in full swing, the college basketball season has just begun. There are many games throughout Thanksgiving week. In fact, there are more college basketball games left this year than college and pro football games combined.
Other popular sporting events that will capture attention this week are NHL and NFL games, as well as the $9m golf match between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. You are inundated with sporting action, with most people having the time off work or college to watch it.
Coverage of sports betting is increasing now that it is legal. Many publications and media outlets will discuss the odds for different events and build the excitement.
Many people will eagerly look forward to seeing the sports betting results for November. This will showcase just how big Thanksgiving week is for the sports betting operators.
