Super Bowl will show just three sports betting ads during TV broadcast

The NFL has confirmed that the upcoming Super Bowl on 11 February in Las Vegas will only air three sports betting ads during the TV broadcast.

As reported by the Associated Press, NFL spokesperson Alex Riethmiller confirmed just three TV spots had been purchased by operators in the shape of DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM.

Operators are currently under the maximum allowed for in-game sports betting ad spots.

According to Statista, a 30-second TV spot for last year’s Super Bowl would have set companies back around $7m, with that figure having sharply increased since 2013 when it cost $3.8m.

DraftKings will show its 30-second ad, which first aired on 29 January, during the pre-game show and will feature comedian Kevin Hart. The short is inspired by the “How ‘bout them Cowboys” speech from former Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson in 1993.

Hart starred in the 2022 DraftKings Super Bowl ad which ran during the first quarter and promoted a free $5 bet for every customer.

The other two ads will be shown during the game.

BetMGM’s three-part advertising campaign, starring former quarterback Tom Brady, Hollywood actor Vince Vaughn and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, will be its first ever Super Bowl ad and was created in partnership with agency Highdive.

FanDuel will run a Rob Gronkowski advert for the second year in a row, building on his failed field kick attempt last year and will feature former WWE wrestler-turned-actor John Cena. Wieden+Kennedy is behind the campaign.

David Highhill, NFL sports betting general manager, said the number of sportsbook ads being shown during the game averages out to be one per quarter.

Highhill said: “We’ve put some policies in place to limit the amount of advertising for sports betting that happens in our live games.

“It’s roughly one ad per quarter. All told, less than 5% of all in-game ads are sports betting ads.”