MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL teams and players get the majority of the betting action. But soccer saw an uptick in popularity among North Americans thanks to Lionel Messi‘s Inter Miami arrival.
Bet365 Most Bet 2023: Bet365, an online sports betting operator, said that some of the most popular soccer teams bet on throughout 2023 in Europe were Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich and Juventus.
The sportsbook — legal in Colorado, New Jersey, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Louisiana as well as Canada — won the 2023 Benzinga's Titans Sports Betting Summit award.
The Messi Effect: Bet365 cites the impact that Messi’s joining Inter Miami had on the betting world.
"I have been in this business over 21 years, and I haven't seen another example of a player going to a newer league that isn't considered amongst the top leagues in the world, have such a seismic impact on the betting action, if not the league itself," Bet365's Aron Wattleworth said in a year-end report.
Betting action on Inter Miami was "exponentially massive" compared to prior action, the report stated.
Oftentimes, it increased "by thousand-fold."
Betting action on Messi was often higher than the betting on the overall match and other soccer betting markets. Bets on Messi to score, Messi to score two or more goals and Messi shots on target were the highest witnessed in MLS history.
"There aren't enough hyperbolic metrics to measure his massive impact on the betting action. If Messi was playing or possibly playing, that was the most popular bet of the day."
The comments echo what DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG) CEO Jason Robins told Benzinga in 2023.
"I think Messi is going to be a big game changer for MLS," Robins said.
DraftKings and other sportsbooks offered boosted bets on Messi and Inter Miami.
Read Next: If You Bet $100 On Messi To Score In His First 6 MLS Games, Here’s How Much You Could Have Made
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