Even before sports betting was legal across the country, the Super Bowl would inspire even the most casual bettors to lay a little money down. This year, the game could help sportsbooks take in more money than ever before.

PlayUSA projects that legal sportsbooks will take in a record $1.1 billion in bets on Super Bowl LVII. That would make it the most bet on Super Bowl. It would also be the biggest handle any US sporting event has ever taken in.

The current record is held by last year’s Super Bowl. Bettors put just over $937 million down on the Rams and Bengals at legal books. The American Gaming Association projects that the total bet on the game is somewhere around $7.6 billion.

Nevada is still the king when it comes to legal sports gambling. That state is expected to take in the largest bets on the Eagles and Chiefs. Gamblers are expected to lay down $176.2 million in that state alone.

It is possible that projection is challenged. Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the epicenter of Eagles fandom, have legalized sports gambling. Could that affect where the most money is laid down?

Last year, more than 9 million bettors participated in the Super Bowl at legal books. In total, it is estimated that 31 million people made a bet online.

Super Bowl LVII will take place in Arizona on February 12. The Philadelphia Eagles are currently a two-point favorite.

With most people having a podcast in this day and age, it is very difficult to stand out when there are so many options for listeners to choose from. One of the keys to finding success is being reliable and having your audience know that you will be around consistently. Dan “Big Cat” Katz, one of the hosts of Pardon My Take, views consistency as a major key to the success of the Barstool Sports show.

Katz was a guest on The Old Man and the Three podcast with J.J. Redick and Tommy Alter and he mentioned that Pardon My Take never takes a break and always wants content out there for their listeners.

“Just being consistent with what you put out there is something that seems very easy but gets lost by a lot of people. Every single day you are going to wake up, you are going to see me produce this, this, and this. Started as blogging, moved to podcasting. PFT and I — outside of the holidays — we don’t miss shows. There’s never a show where ‘Hey, we aren’t feeling it’. No, no, we do the shows. Even when we go on vacation, what can we bank that we can put out while we are on vacation?

“Having that consistency always being there for people I think makes you part of their routine and makes it anything than I could ever have imagined.”

While Katz understands that not every episode or every interview is going to be the greatest, he told the guys that the key is putting everything you got into every episode.

“There’s shows that aren’t the best, there are interviews that aren’t the best. It all ebbs and flows. You can’t be the funniest, most insightful podcast every single time. But, just being consistent and saying here’s what we got, we are going to put our effort into it, we are going to enjoy what we do and it has helped us get where we are today.

“You have to be a part of people’s lives. Knowing that people view you as a friend even though you don’t know them. I take that very seriously and never try to take advantage of the fact that people are investing their time in listening to me talk. Making sure you are putting in the effort and always showing up for them.” 

Stephen A. Smith knows he can’t be right all the time, even when he’s debating someone on First Take.

Smith was a guest on the Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take this week, and host Dan “Big Cat” Katz asked him what his thought process is like when he does turn out to be wrong.

The topic of Stephen A. being wrong with six straight NBA Finals predictions came up, and Smith said you just have to embrace being imperfect.

“The beauty is in being wrong. It’s showing that you’re fallible – you’re flawed – you’re human just like everybody else,” he said. “Do you know many people are boring as hell on television because they are literally so rigid because they’re scared of being wrong? Tell me one person in the history of sports who’s been right every time. There is no one.”

Smith later said that not having an attitude of always being right, combined with just being as knowledgeable as possible, goes a long way in how you connect with your audience.

“In our business there’s a lot of people who truly, truly believe the definition of entertainment is showing people what you know. That’s not true,” he said. “How you communicate with them is what entertains them. Sure you have to know what you’re talking about for the most part. Doesn’t mean you’re flawless and you’re not gonna make mistakes. But for the most part you gotta know what you’re talking about.”