The NFL’s Dark History with Las Vegas 🎲
Plus will Taylor Swift eat a hot dog? and the UFC's guerrilla marketing plan.
Welcome to Athletic Interest.
At this year’s Super Bowl, you can bet on whether Taylor Swift will be seen eating a hot dog.
That’s just one of millions of bets that will be placed. A total of 23 billion dollars is predicted to be wagered. That’s 35% more than last year. A new record in U.S. sports betting history.
Some of this increase can be traced to Taylor Swift. Her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce has seen an increase in women betting on the Super Bowl.
But there is a bigger reason behind the rise of gambling at Super Bowl LVIII… Las Vegas.
This is the first time that Vegas has hosted a Super Bowl, and the city’s reputation has put fans in the mood to gamble.
A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable. The NFL was convinced that gambling would lead to corruption, and tourism ads for Las Vegas were blocked from NFL broadcasts.
So, how does the 2024 Super Bowl end up in Las Vegas?
To understand that, we have to learn about the dark history between the NFL and Vegas. A story that involves the Mafia, a dead President and billions of dollars.
⛳️ 🥊 The Super Bowl isn’t the only big sporting event in Vegas this weekend.
Wednesday: LIV Golf started a tournament at the Las Vegas Country Club.
Thursday: Red Bull unveiled their sister F1 team’s new livery in Vegas.
Friday: Dana White’s Power Slap League will hold an event at the Durango Casino
Saturday: UFC will host a fight at the Apex.
This is not a coincidence. It’s guerrilla marketing.
The organizers of these other sporting events know that the Super Bowl in Vegas is one of the biggest moments on the sporting calendar. There will be millions of fans in the city with an appetite for live sports.
Tickets for the UFC fight were sold out days ago. The Power Slap league has revealed a huge rise in demand for tickets.
Vegas wanted to be a sports city, it looks like the dream is becoming a reality.