whether you're into football or not this weekend Super Bowl has the potential to be the most watched in the game's history according to a seen Hall University sports poll nearly three qus of those surveyed said they plan to tune in for the big game that number has grown every year since 2021 according to the poll and it could be in part because of interest in sports betting industry analysts are predicting record setting gambling on the game 68 million Americans will likely play bets New Jersey residents access to online sports betting is a big part of that estimate so too is the Taylor Swift effect as senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan reports anticipation is building for just how much economic activity the game will [Music] break players going to play play play and better is going to bet bet bet this weekend as America ant up for Super Bowl 58 whether they wager on who wins the game it's the Chiefs versus the 49ers or on whether Taylor gets engaged to Travis some 68 million American adults will put their money down it's not an exaggeration to say this is going to be the biggest Super Bowl ever for in terms of betting sports betting Guru Jeff sney expects fans to wage more than a billion bucks just in legal bets toss in illegal bookies and online overseas action and bets on Super Bowl could top $23 billion up from 16 billion last year according to the American gaming Association what's driving The Surge accessibility Sports spending in general has been increasing as more states legalize the practice in 2023 Alone six new States came on board Jersey legalized online sports betting in 2018 it's now permitted in 38 States plus Washington DC with Super Bowl 58 located at in Las Vegas experts forecast nearly 133% of legal bets will come from Nevada followed by New York with about 12% New Jersey with almost 10% and Pennsylvania with 7% the rest divided amongst other states Atlantic City's nine casinos have a weekend long party planned I can already see it today today's Friday and we're we're already very busy and building a lot of momentum for What's Happening Here at resorts in our DraftKings Sports uh it's going to be really exciting and throughout our whole property he predicts a 10 to 15% bump in Wagers and with apps folks can place bets on their phone while sitting at home on the sofa again accessibility it's almost like a 90% to 10% split in favor of online sports betting it's just it it really does increase the overall handle because it makes so much easier to place a bet so it is a huge contributing factor to the overall growth of sports betting in the US that technology side of things most odds makers currently favor the Niners meanwhile pop star Taylor Swift's romance with Chief's tight end Travis Kelsey has spawned a sideline of prop bets but they won't be official Sports Wagers it is illegal to wager on outcomes that are not related to the game directly so you can't place a bet on whether Taylor Swift is going to um you know eat a hot dog or how many times she's going to be on camera but I would bet that people in their Super Bowl parties are going to have different pools about what's going to happen with Taylor Swift the main thing is to bet responsibly and to to know what your limits are and expect to lose whatever you bet expect to lose if you win it's a surprise Felicia granden says after the Super Bowl calls for help always Spike at her group's hotline 1 1800 Gambler they're mostly young men aged 18 to 24 she says since the onset of a sports book in 20 18 calls to our helpline have increased by 189% so it is a growing problem she advises have fun but set a limit on how much you can afford to lose on the score or on Taylor and Travis I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight News [Music]