Sportsbook bettors took note on Tuesday as Super Bowl XLVIII was awarded to New York/New Jersey. The Super Bowl in 2014 in February will be played at the New Meadowlands Stadium. The weather could be cold but the excitement level of the Super Bowl in the New York area sure won’t hurt the offshore sportsbook odds.
Sportsbook odds on Super Bowl games are always popular. Having the game in New York will only help increase the interest. The New York/New Jersey area was chosen over other bids from Tampa and South Florida for the 2014 game. Even though Florida has the better weather, NFL owners voted to award the 2014 game to New Jersey. The game at the Meadowlands Stadium will be the first Super Bowl ever held at a cold-weather outdoor stadium. The coldest temperature ever recorded at kickoff of a Super Bowl game was in 1972 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. It almost guaranteed to be colder than that in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 6:30 pm Eastern time in February.
The weather at the Super Bowl site was a concern but the draw of the New York/New Jersey area far outweighed any weather concerns. And the NFL is really not too concerned about it anyway since only the people at the game would be affected by the cold weather. The millions that watch the game on TV really don’t care, nor do the bettors at the offshore sportsbook. And the weather really is not as bad as everyone thinks. The average temperature at the Meadowlands during February would be between 24 and 40 degrees, with rain possible.
The NFL actually has a rule that the Super Bowl must be held in a city that has average temperatures of 50-degrees or above in February. The league waived that rule in this case. It is all a matter of money. The 2014 Super Bowl is expected to bring in $550 million for the local New York/New Jersey area. It also helps that the Giants and the Jets are local teams and that increase the visibility for the game. The Giants and Jets will split just over six percent of the overall tickets for the game.
The Super Bowl will be held in Dallas in 2011, Indianapolis in 2012 and New Orleans in 2013.