This year’s Super Bowl will drive millions of fans to bars and restaurants and have a major economic footprint as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in the biggest game of the year.

The Chiefs are the defending champions after narrowly defeating the Philadelphia Eagles last year. The economic effects of the clash will reverberate throughout the host city of Las Vegas and across the entire United States, which eagerly awaits the game each year.

Fans all over the country will cumulatively shell out $17.3 billion on the Super Bowl this year, according to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation. For perspective, that is roughly equivalent to the entire gross domestic product of Nicaragua or Jamaica. The spending will come in the form of food, drinks, apparel, and a myriad of other revenue streams related to the game.

For the host city of Las Vegas, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates the Super Bowl will generate, at minimum, an additional $215 million in spending — a huge boon for Nevada and its largest city. An estimated 150,000 visitors are expected to flow into Sin City.

But cities across the country will see a bump in spending. For instance, Syracuse, New York, will see $39 million in additional spending while Anchorage, Alaska, will get a $24 million boost, according to an analysis by the Chamber of Commerce.

“Every year the Super Bowl is an economic force, driven by American businesses, both big and small, national and local,” said Curtis Dubay, chief economist at the Chamber of Commerce. “From local vendors selling game-day snacks to the companies that make the 11.2 million pounds of potato chips that will be consumed during the game, the Super Bowl is a great example of the power of businesses to serve their customers.”

During a call with reporters, Brendon Plack, senior vice president of public policy and government affairs at the NFL, said that the big game has a “broad economic impact” on the host region and across the country.

Millions of viewers are expected to tune in to the game. In fact, since 2010, most Super Bowls were watched by over 100 million people, equivalent to a little under 1 in 3 people in the U.S. Last year’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chiefs attracted 115 million sets of eyes.

“We’re seeing a huge increase in fans that are acting through social media. Last year’s Super Bowl experienced 5.4 billion social media video views — millions of fans are engaging in online activity, which is driving additional economic activity,” Plack said.

Plack said that the event is huge for hotels in the region as well. During last year’s Super Bowl in Phoenix, hotels received $91 million in revenue and had a 90% occupancy rate.

A relatively new element of the game is the rise in legal sports betting, a factor that has driven up viewership and has allowed more engagement in the game, even for viewers whose teams didn’t make the cut.

The transition toward legal sports betting began in 2018 when the Supreme Court ruled that a 1992 law prohibiting the activity was unconstitutional. That landmark decision paved the way for states to legalize sports betting, and each year, more states have begun offering residents the opportunity to place legal bets.

More than 67 million U.S. adults are expected to bet some $23.1 billion on the 2024 Super Bowl, which would be a record-breaking number, according to the American Gaming Association. Last year, $16 billion was wagered, so that would equate to a whopping 44% growth.

“It surely does have an impact,” Plack said of the growing sports betting market. “The league has worked really hard over the past years to establish good ground rules around legalized sports betting to make sure it’s done right.”

“So certainly, that’s having a positive driving impact on who is watching the game, how fans are interreacting with the game,” he said.

People will also spend huge sums of money at restaurants and grocery stores if they are hosting a Super Bowl party.

Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs with the National Restaurant Association, said that their research showed that a majority of those watching from home will order takeout or delivery for the game.

Kennedy said that the top three food items that people will eat this year during the big game are wings, pizza, and salsa and chips.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Kickoff for the Super Bowl is at 6:30 p.m. EST, or 3:30 local time. R&B star Usher will headline the halftime show, which will last for about 15 minutes. This year, CBS will be broadcasting the game, although fans can also tune in through the Paramount+ streaming app.

The 49ers, who had a 12-5 season, are 2-point favorites to win against the 11-6 Chiefs.