The National Football League kicked off on Thursday night with the Hall of Fame Game, and that means one thing in the betting world: After 172 days, we can officially wager on NFL games again.
And it’s not just bettors rejoicing for NFL preseason betting — sportsbooks are thrilled to get NFL action back as well.
“Last night’s Hall of Fame Game drew 21.8% more turnover than the previous year’s game between Dallas and Pittsburgh,” said Wyatt Yearout, media analytics manager of PointsBet.
DraftKings noted that the total amount of bets doubled when compared to 2021 and that the Hall of Fame Game drew more total handle than any MLB game on Thursday.
Sports Interaction (SIA) in Canada reported a similar handle to last year’s game but noted that preseason NFL betting tends to increase weekly.
“The handle for preseason does increase,” noted Phill Gray, head of trading operations at SIA. “The final week, when you may see more starters, tends to be the most popular.”