Super Bowl Betting Guide 2024: ESPN sports betting analyst Erin Dolan provides expert insights

Sunday is the Super Bowl, and fans will undoubtedly be betting on it.

In fact, according to The American Gaming Association, approximately 67.8 million American adults (26%) are expected to place a wager of some kind on Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas. A step further, an estimated $23.1 billion is anticipated to be wagered on the game, up from $16 billion last year.

To get fans ready to place those bets, ESPN created an ESPN BET Super Bowl Primer (watch video above), with ESPN sports betting analyst Erin Dolan breaking down what fans need to know to bet the game.

ESPN Creative Director Lucas Nickerson oversaw the animation. He tells Front Row more about how this idea was brought to life.

This ESPN BET Super Bowl Primer is so well done. When approached with the idea, what was your first thought around the ideation of this?
It’s always nice to pull inspiration from ourselves – as a group of us in ESPN Creative Studio had animated, directed, and produced an over-the-top-fun Peyton & Eli prop bet extravaganza a few years ago, so we had the inspiration right in front of us.

What does the content process look like? Do you start with a script for the animations, build that, and then work with Erin to do VO?
It is a fluid collaboration with ESPN Vice President, Fantasy/Betting Content Scott Clark and his team. To start, we create motion sketches to inform potential script ideas. Developing animated devices (such as using the phone for messaging, spitting out bet slips & choosing the isometric stadium view for a unique way to display information) helps create the structure. We worked with a scratch track (placeholder) for Erin to align the visuals with her pacing, find a music track that fits, and finish it with a sound design mix. It all came together in about a week

What was the most important part of this project?
Creating content that is informative and fun with a visual nod to the ESPN BET brand.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Shoutout to Adam Schaub, senior designer in Creative Studio’s Visual Storytelling, who visually drove the Primer.