- $1.71 Billion
- Estimated legal Super Bowl wagers
Source: 2026 Legal Sports Report
"One extra minute with a market open might not feel huge in the moment, but across a three-hour game and then 250-plus games a season, it really stacks up."
- Stephen Macken, Director of Trading at FanDuel
Weeks of preparation
Stephen's career spans more than a decade across Flutter, from Paddy Power in Ireland to Sportsbet in Australia, and now leading one of FanDuel's Trading functions in Melbourne, where he works with a 60-strong team that includes eight traders dedicated to the Super Bowl.
"Over the years, I've handled just about every trading task you can think of," he says. "The range of experience on the team is exactly what you need heading into something like the Super Bowl."
Super Bowl preparation begins long before game day. Over the offseason, NFL traders worked with trading, product and tech colleagues in Australia to integrate a play-by-play data feed directly into the platform, reducing latency, improving uptime and enabling faster settlement. Last year, touchdown scorer markets would suspend when the ball was inside the red zone. This year, they've stayed open until an offense is inside the five, giving customers more betting opportunities.
"One extra minute with a market open might not feel huge in the moment, but across a three-hour game and then 250-plus games a season, it really stacks up," Stephen says.
"It takes trust."
Game day execution
On Super Bowl Monday, while most of Melbourne is commuting to work, the team arrives around 7:30am, three hours before kickoff, for a final call with colleagues across regions.
"It takes trust," Stephen says. "People need to understand the context behind decisions made in another location. At this point, the work should already be done. It's about execution and being ready for whatever the game throws at you."
Once the game kicks off at around 10:30am Melbourne time, eight traders manage different aspects, such as bets related to each team, player props, and live specials, with other members handling adjacent work like bet settlements.
"If something big or unexpected happens on the field, customers react instantly," Stephen says. "Our job is to make sure the experience doesn't change. That's probably why we've got eight people dedicated to it."
Despite the pressure, Super Bowl Monday brings energy to the office. Many colleagues come in for coffees just to be part of the moment. "There's a healthy paranoia," Stephen admits. "Everyone wants everything to run perfectly for the Super Bowl."
Ensuring the 'Edge'
As betting concentrates around live markets and same-game parlays, precision matters. Even customer quirks require attention: "People enjoy betting the coin toss," Stephen notes. "We make sure those markets are available right up until the captains chat to the referee."
Pricing player prop prices accurately is critical when a single touchdown can impact outcomes across thousands of bet combinations.
"Getting to the right price quickly is a big mantra for us," Stephen says. "Flutter's scale means we can stay competitive while still being accurate and fair."
The scale of Super Bowl trading requires more than technology. It demands expertise built over years, trust between teams separated by thousands of miles, and a culture where getting to the right price and leading the market matters more than ever.
"At FanDuel, we can pick our spots with the market," Stephen says. "We get to the right price and trust our work through to the final play."
That global model creates advantages for the people behind it too. "While it might be an early morning, we usually finish up here at around 6pm and grab a beer, and to be honest, watch the replay on a big screen," Stephen notes. "It's something we are very proud to own down here and really showcases the 'We Are One Team' value of FanDuel, as well as the Flutter Edge in action."
When American football fans settle in to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday night, they won't see the global teams managing it on Monday morning. But as night turns to day in Australia, traders like Stephen will be delivering the experience, powered by Flutter's technology, collaboration and world-class talent.
Watch Super Bowl LX
Patriots vs. Seahawks
Sunday, Feb 8 • 23:30 UTC
Check local listings for broadcast details
