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A record $1.39 billion will be legally wagered in the United States on Sunday’s Super Bowl match-up between the two-times defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, the American Gaming Association (AGA) said on Tuesday. In years past, the trade group representing the U.S. casino industry did not break out an estimate solely for legal bets but rather one for all wagers, including those placed online, with a sportsbook, unlicensed bookmaker or casually with friends. But with years of legal operations in several U.S. states, the AGA said it now analyzes historical revenue data and other trends to develop a legal wager estimate for major U.S. sports betting moments. The AGA’s estimate for Super Bowl bets is up 11.2% from the $1.25 billion that gambling and research firm Eilers & Krejcik predicted would be legally bet on last year’s NFL championship in Las Vegas between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. “No single event unites sports fans like the Super Bowl, and that excitement extends to sports betting, with this year’s record legal handle reflecting its widespread appeal,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in a news release. “This figure underscores the positive impact of the legal marketfrom protecting consumers to generating tax revenue that benefits communities across the countrywhile enhancing the game experience for all.” In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal ban on sports betting. Since the ruling, 38 states and the District of Columbia have now legalized sports betting in some form. The NFL’s championship game creates an annual betting bonanza and this year’s edition will be played in New Orleans for a record-tying 11th time. The Chiefs, appearing in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six years and seeking an unprecedented third consecutive NFL championship, are slight favourites to beat the Eagles in a rematch of the February 2023 title clash. Frank Pingue, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Aja Wilson has come to realize what is delayed is not always denied. The two-time WNBA champion and three-time league MVP proudly released her long-awaited Nike signature shoe and athletic apparel collection in her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, where she helped lead the South Carolina Gamecocks to their first national championship in 2017 and had her college jersey retired on Sunday. The release of the predominantly pink shoe and apparel collection which she said reflects her girly, girly side has been 10 months in the making since she signed the lucrative six-year contract with Nike. It’s a deal Wilson says signals the continued growth and interest in womens sports. It was just a matter of time, honestly, Wilson said. Because we are in it and we live it, we see how much we’re valued and worth. But now to see everyone in the basketball community finally catch up, it means the world. To say that I can put out a shoe, and to do this here at home, it’s truly special and I’m so excited to see what the future has to hold. The price of the shoe will be $110 for adult sizes and $90 for youth sizes. It will be available for purchase in the spring. At 28, Wilson is one of the most recognizable faces in women’s sports. She won an ESPY in 2024 for Best Female Athlete and led the Las Vegas Aces to back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. She has been named an All-Star six times since entering the league after being selected the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018. Many in the women’s sports world wondered what has taken so long for Wilson to get her own shoe deal. Last year’s sensational WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark had a deal for a Nike signature shoe ahead of Wilson. The delay didn’t surprise A’ja’s father, Roscoe Wilson, who called his daughter a meticulous planner. “Ever since A’ja was a child, she’s been that way,” Roscoe Wilson said. She would have toys and collectibles as a kid and she would line them up and look them and make sure they were lined up correctly, then change them around. So I always just took that as her way. She’s always been meticulous in her planning. She sees how she wants things to go before she finishes.” So this is a product of her vision from a long time ago, he proudly added. His daughter’s vision is not just a big deal for the Wilson family. Wilsons A-One is important for womens sports, but it’s also important for sports in general, said Joe Favorito, a longtime sports marketing executive and professor at Columbia University. Companies have been cutting back on custom lines for years and you don’t see this very often anymore, Favorito said. “They have to know there is going to be a big return. Companies have to be very selective. So this is impressive and it is very rare.” Favorito believes the shoe will particularly appeal to young women and people of color. It speaks to the diverse audience, not only for women but also people of color, Favorito said. They are creating a shoe that young women can wear, can feel comfortable in and that is revolutionary. Wilson’s shoe deal comes about after Clark signed the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player in history last April worth $28 million over eight years. Wilson said she loved the process of picking out the colors and helping design the shoe and collection, but acknowledged that the release is a weight off her shoulders. Among the many unique features in the design is a replica of the tattoos she wears on her arms - a tribute to her parents for supporting her through the years stitched onto the tongue of the shoes. To see it finally go live, it’s fun and I could not wait, Wilson said. The jersey retirement was great, but to have people get answers to their questions about what this shoe is about, it makes my heart really happy. Added her father Roscoe Wilson: The platform she has and the space she is in I think she has used it brilliantly to make a statement about herself, which carries over to womens sports. She relays her message through how she carries herself and how she plays. Steve Reed, AP sports writer
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E-Commerce
Donald Trump drew plenty of criticism by launching his own branded memecoin three days before his inauguration, including from the crypto community which argued he was making a mockery of the crypto world by tying himself to the memecoin world, which could damage efforts to make crypto reforms. And so, in the two-plus weeks since he has taken office, the value of the Trump coin has dropped precipitously. Trumps $TRUMP coin, which can be used to buy his Trump-themed sneakers, watches, and fragrances, had lost another 6% of its value Tuesday afternoon, falling to $16.63 each. While that still gives the token a market cap of $3.3 billion, its nothing compared to where it stood on January 19. On the eve of his second term, Trumps memecoin hit an all-time high of $75.35 per token and a market cap of $14.5 billion. Chainalysis data, as reported by Reuters, found that 29 large buyers each held more than $10 million-worth of the memecoins, with five holding more than $100 million each. The recent drop represents a loss of more than 75% of its value. A separate memecoin launched by Melania Trump, has suffered similar losses, falling from $13.73 per token on January 20 to $1.60 on Tuesday, an 88% plunge. The $MELANIA loss would have been even larger if it hadn’t been in rally mode Tuesday, gaining nearly 17% from 24 hours prior. (As with many memecoins, its unclear whats driving the rally.) The sell-off of $TRUMP has been gaining momentum largely since he finished taking the oath of office. By the end of January 21, the coin had lost nearly half its value, falling to little more than $40. The recent declines have come amid Trumps tariff threats and growing fears of a trade war. The memecoin was down another 15% Monday as the deadline for the tariffs loomed and last-minute deals were struck. The loss of gains is not restricted to $TRUMP. Most cryptocurrencies have surrendered any gains theyve made since the first of the year, though Bitcoin is still up slightly. Thats due, in part, to ongoing threats to free trade, a position that many crypto owners support. The risk of higher prices on imported goods has also prompted investors to sell digital assets in order to lower risk and steer clear of volatility in their portfolios. Memecoins have been especially affected by the sell-off. Selling holdings like memecoins can also give owners access to cash, which could be handy if costs go up across the board. Tariffs aimed at goods from Mexico and China were suspended for at least 30 days Tuesday, but a 10% tariff on goods from China was enacted. China retaliated Tuesday, implementing a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products from the U.S. and a 10% tariff on U.S. crude oil, agricultural machinery, and large-engine cars. Officials in Beijing also announced an anti-trust investigation into Google and enacted export controls on critical components of high-tech products. While the value of the Trump memecoin has taken a significant dive in the past two weeks, that hasnt stopped some parties from making a considerable amount of money from it. Reuters, on Monday, reported that trading fees alone for the $TRUMP token have added up to somewhere between $86 million and $100 million. One of the parties benefiting from those trade fees, CIC Digital, is an affiliate of the Trump Organization, but it was unclear how much of that total, if any, had gone to Trump personally. The ownership of other entities involved in trade fees could similarly not be determined. Trump was elected on a vow to be the crypto president and has filled his administration with several people who either hold crypto or have ties to the industry. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, for instance, who has previously expressed a belief that digital assets are a form of financial freedom, was named Monday as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has previously set rules to protect consumers against fraud in crypto transactions.
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E-Commerce
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