The Buffalo Bills won't be making an appearance, but with an estimated 100 million television viewers, Sunday is one of THE days to bet on sports.There was a time when sports betting involved the guy sitting in the back booth of a neighborhood bar or some cubicle in an office. Now it’s online or in giant bettor parlors with massive screens featuring sporting events. An increasingly legal system of sports betting exists for those who want to put cash down on the outcome of a game or of some aspect of the game.
Seneca Gaming Corporation has sports betting lounges in each of its three casinos and Gavin Mercado is its executive director of sports book and interactive gaming. He said betting brings in customers.
"Buffalo Creek is in close proximity to the First Niagara Arena. We saw last year, a lot of the guys and girls that were going to the game were stopping in the sports bar before, stopping back after to collect their winnings or placing another wager in a game coming up next," Mercado said. "I think just in our general area, we see a lot of foot traffic."
Mercado said Buffalo Bills fans were supporting the team with their bets. He said customers will bet on any sport and any activity taking place in a game, from rugby to tennis to a surprisingly strong interest in the NBA.
There will be 300 ways to bet on the Super Bowl.
"Is this like betting on the 8th Pole? Not really, because we still don’t know what’s going to happen, right? It depends on when you get the line, where you get it at," Mercado said. "Some people actually prefer to come in after the kickoff, watch maybe the first quarter, watch the first half, and then place a wager because they feel like they know exactly what’s going to happen at the end."
