When a customer places a wager, it’s important to verify their physical location – a service which companies such as GeoComply provide.

According to the business, 103.1 million geolocation checks were carried out last weekend following the NFL’s kick off on 8 September.

This constitutes a considerable increase when compared to last year’s 60.1 million checks. New York alone, whose betting market launched in January, was responsible for 15.7 million checks.

This does not come as a surprise, but neighbouring Pennsylvania wasn’t far behind. The Keystone State saw geolocation checks rise by 30% to 15.3 million from 11.8 million.

Meanwhile, Illinois nabbed third place with eight million checks while New Jersey and Michigan came in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Anna Sainsbury, GeoComply’s CEO called the weekend an “unbelievable start” to this year’s NFL season. She commented: “The growth of legal betting suggests that Americans are ditching offshore sportsbooks for regulated options in their home states.

“This is exactly the outcome legislators and regulators looked to achieve through legalisation as they now protect consumers and increase tax revenues.”

Since last year’s NFL opening day, five states have launched online sports betting: Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana and New York.

As a result, there are 25 states, plus Washington DC, that currently host live, regulated online sports betting markets.

Sainsbury added: “GeoComply has worked hand in glove with our customers over the offseason to ensure a seamless and, most importantly, safe start to the NFL season.”