About 13 million Americans plan to take part in casual betting like a workplace ‘boxes’ pool, which can strengthen bonds between co-workers that got frayed during the pandemic.
(Bloomberg) — The surge in legal betting across the US will make this year’s NFL title match the most bet-upon in history, but fancy apps like DraftKings haven’t killed the traditional office Super Bowl pool.
The number of American adults who plan to take part in casual Super Bowl contests like office pools rose 71% this year, to 13 million, according to a Morning Consult survey for the American Gaming Association, an industry group for casinos and gaming organizations. That figure had declined in 2021 as many white-collar workers steered clear of the office, but it’s come roaring back as organizations look to return to common workplace rituals.
More than one-third of professionals polled this week by Fishbowl, a social network, said they’re doing an office pool if their employer has one. Informal workplace events like Super Bowl pools, while officially frowned upon by leadership, can help repair the bonds between workers that frayed during the pandemic.
“It could be a positive force at a time when we are more than ever in need of social connection,” said Maryam Kouchaki, a professor at the Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “There’s a lot of evidence saying that when it comes to teamwork, these side conversations are essential.”
While sportsbook gamblers consider whether to put their money on the favored Philadelphia Eagles, or take a flyer on any number of proposition bets like what song Rihanna will open with during the halftime show, millions of US workers will simply pay $10 (or sometimes much more) to choose a square on a blank 10-by-10 grid, with rows and columns that later get numbered 0 to 9 —predictions for the score. If the last digit of the score at the end of any quarter corresponds to your digits, you win part of the pot. Prizes grow as the game progresses, and the person with the winning final score usually gets half the take.
A 10-by-10 box works well for a small organization with under 100 employees, but some big employers have to expand their contests. For the past 15 years, tax and audit giant KPMG has asked staffers eight questions about the game, such as who will win the coin toss. The top scorers can win a high-end firepit, while anyone who enters can get a $50 gift card. Typically at least half of the firm’s 35,000 workers take part, according to a representative for KPMG.
The decidedly old-school approach to office pools — many are still done by hand —could easily have fallen victim to the digital wizardry on display with gaming apps like FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM, with their parlay generators and live streaming. Sports betting is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia after the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to strike down the law barring sports betting. This year, for the first time, more American adults plan to wager online, at a sportsbook or with a bookie than plan to bet casually with friends or as part of a pool contest, the American Gaming Association survey found.
David Forman, vice president of research at the American Gaming Association, figured office pools would lose popularity as legal betting proliferated. “We saw casual betting plateauing over the last few years,” he said. “So we thought either more people wanted to bet legally now, or it’s a longer-term decline. But from this year’s data, it looks like it was just a Covid disruption. People are doing both now, both legal and casual.”
Not all office pools benefit a work environment. They can alienate those who don’t follow sports, and organizers might intentionally exclude some groups of workers from participating. They’re also typically in violation of company codes of conduct, according to Jessica Kriegel, chief scientist of workplace culture at Culture Partners, a consultant.
Beyond those challenges, though, “they can be a way to foster community, lighthearted trash-talking, and allow employees to learn a little bit about each other,” Kriegel said. “Who knew that Dan was such a Jason Kelce fan?”
(Updates with Fishbowl poll results in second paragraph.)
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