A major gaming conglomerate benefited from the popularity of the NFL in 2023.
Flutter Entertainment released its most popular bets in 2023 across the United States and Canada and the company’s top 10 wagers featured all NFL playoff games. Flutter — the parent company of FanDuel, Betfair, Paddy Power, Sisal, and Sky Bet — reported heavy action on Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The season finale, which saw the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35, saw FanDuel take in 9.9 million bets on the game in the U.S., which amounted to $215 million in total stakes for both retail and online wagering.
| Market | Event | Total Stakes (USD) | Total bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs vs. Eagles | $215M | 9.9M |
| U.S. | AFC Championship Game: Chiefs vs. Bengals | $100M | 5.3M |
| U.S. | NFC Championship Game: Eagles vs. 49ers | $74M | 4.2M |
| U.S. | NFC Wild Card Game: 49ers vs. Cowboys | $74M | 4.8M |
| U.S. | AFC Divisional Game: Bengals vs. Bills | $70M | 4.6M |
| Canada | Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs vs. Eagles | $6.6M | 801,000 |
| Canada | AFC Championship Game: Chiefs vs. Bengals | $2.6M | 386,000 |
| Canada | NFC Wild Card Game: 49ers vs. Cowboys | $2.1M | 290,000 |
| Canada | AFC Divisional Game: Bengals vs. Bills | $2.1M | 279,000 |
| Canada | NFL Week 1 2023: Monday Night Football - Bills vs. Jets | $2.1M | 345,000 |
*Source: Flutter Entertainment, parent of global gambling brands like FanDuel, PokerStars, and Betfair.
FanDuel, which is available in more than 20 states across America, also posted a strong U.S. handle and total bets figure for last season’s AFC Championship between the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs’ win to capture a Super Bowl berth saw FanDuel collect $100 million behind 5.3 million wagers. Super Bowl LVII and the AFC Championship matchup were also intriguing for bettors in Canada as the games were the two most popular in the market.
Flutter, which has a well-established European presence, also reported impressive wagering figures in other markets outside the U.S. and Canada. The company saw this year’s Grand National horse race in the United Kingdom and Ireland generate $60 million in total stakes behind 10.3 million wagers across multiple sportsbooks, including Paddy Power and Betfair.
The Melbourne Cup also found favor with bettors. The annual thoroughbred race at Flemington Racecourse saw Australian users of Sportsbet place 5.9 million bets with $50.5 million at stake.
Italian sportsbook Sisal saw the Champions League Final collect $6.6 million worth of wagers.
Expanding presence
Flutter’s ability to reach bettors across the world comes amid a looming U.S. listing.
The Ireland-based company announced plans in November to pursue a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange after applying with the SEC. Flutter has now confirmed it will list on the NYSE on Jan. 29 pending approval of its paperwork. Flutter will use the ticker symbol “FLUT” for shares.
Flutter generated $2.5 billion in group revenue in Q3 2023, up from $2.3 billion for the same period last year. It expects full-year revenue in the U.S. to reach $4.7 billion in FY2023.
