Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was a highly anticipated matchup between the NFL’s top two teams. It did not disappoint as the thrilling back-and-forth contest came down to a critical fourth-quarter holding call on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry against Chiefs wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. The penalty set up Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker for a game-winning 27-yard field goal; the Chiefs’ 38-35 win covered the spread and easily went over the game’s 51.5-point total.
Sportsbooks reported record betting activity as a result of the electrifying finale. GeoComply, a leading cybersecurity and fraud prevention third-party servicer for legal sportsbooks in the US, facilitated more than 100 million geolocation checks during the big game, an all-time high for a Super Bowl weekend. Geolocation checks pinpoint precisely where a bettor is trying to wager from, which is verified upon registering or logging in to their online sportsbook. Notable clients include DraftKings, BetMGM, and FanDuel.
The data revealed that New York topped the list of states with 13.9 million geolocation checks, followed by Ohio at 12.6 million and Pennsylvania at 11.8 million. GeoComply Cofounder and CEO Anna Sainsbury said the Super Bowl was a “record-breaking event” for Americans’ interest in legally betting on the big game. Notably, this was the first Super Bowl played in a state where sports betting is legal and the first to be played adjacent to a regulated sportsbook.
In addition to assisting in locating sports bettors, GeoComply also helped protect online assets and data. The Super Bowl was one of the busiest times of the year for online fraudsters, and the company spotted and blocked over 140,000 fraud attempts during the weekend. Sainsbury said GeoComply “protected consumers and sportsbooks from fraud rings, account takeovers, ID theft, and other financial fraud.”
