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February 7, 2009 - Was that a football game or what? I don’t know about everybody else, but I’ve just got to say that Super Bowl 43 (I would do the Roman numerals, but I don’t know how) was one of the best Super Bowls I have ever watched. I dare say it was the best game ever, but due to short term memory constraints and a host of other beer-related mental complications, I’m not sure I can honestly say I remember every football game that I’ve watched.

First off, I realize this is an extreme post follow-up to the game. Give me a break. I'm still recovering from my hangover. But you know people are going to be talking about this game for year's to come anyways. I mean, it is one for the record books. It would have been even more so if the Cardinals pulled it off. No team has ever come back to win from such a large point deficit. And although the commercials were kind of lame overall (my favorite was the guy getting hit in the nuts in the Doritos commercial - I know it's low brow humor...I don't care. If somebody farts or get hits in the nuts, I'm laughing), it was still one of the best Super Bowl's ever.

In terms of betting figures, leading up to the big game, brick 'n mortar casino sportsbooks were reporting lower traffic than usual. Some people acted surprised by this. But I'm saying come on people - the U.S. is in a recession. Would you seriously expect it to be the other way around? But the funny thing is that while there are no tangible figures to show for, the online betting sector as a whole was reporting increased traffic compared to last year. Especially coming down to the last 36 hours before the game (not to mention during the game itself), traffic was buzzing.

Sure, I guess you could say that online betting is taking from the land-based sector. So, yet another good reason to regulate, right? Well, let's just wait and see how far President Obama's stimulus package gets without toying with the notions of regulation and taxation. I personally think it's very likely to come around. Anyways, the land-based sector isn't dying out by no means. Still, nearly $82 million was wagered on Super Bowl 43 (down 11.5% from last year), with Nevada casino bookmakers stealing $6.7 million (a win percentage of 8.2). Although the favored Steelers took home the trophy, they didn't cover the spread, and bettors lost out overall.

Originally published: February, 2009 | Categories: Gambling