State record
The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has revealed bettors wagered a record $185.6m on Super Bowl LVIII in Nevada’s casinos.
smashed 2022’s Super Bowl record of $179.8m
According to NGCB Senior Economic Analyst Michael Lawton, the unaudited figures show the sportsbooks’ handle earned them a hold of $6.8m, a win percentage of just 3.7%. The $185.6m handle smashed 2022’s Super Bowl record of $179.8m.
The NGCB took to X Tuesday with a news release detailing the record-breaking sum wagered in Nevada’s 182 sportsbooks:
The Kansas City Chiefs memorably fought back for a 25-22 win over the favorites San Francisco 49ers in overtime at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday. NGCB Chairman Kirk Hendrick congratulated “all the stakeholders involved for delivering such a spectacular event” for the state.
Viva Las Vegas
Although the Chiefs went into Sunday’s game as 2-point underdogs, quarterback Patrick Mahomes steered his franchise to its third Super Bowl win in five years, its second Vince Lombardi trophy in a row.
The Las Vegas Review Journal cited Westgate SuperBook Vice President Jay Kornegay as stating Nevada’s all-time high handle made sense since “the first Super Bowl hosted in Las Vegas should break the record.”
Lawton said the wagering met the NGCB’s expectations. He added the drivers behind this included Vegas hosting the Super Bowl, the defending champions the Chiefs taking part, and “having a West Coast team from the No. 2 feeder market for Las Vegas.”
The hold of 3.7% was, however, the fourth-lowest win percentage for Nevada’s sportsbooks in the past decade. Bettors backing the Chiefs won millions on the overtime prop, with +900 odds on Mahomes’ side. Others, such as high stakes poker player Sean Perry, didn’t fare so good on the day.
Felt it coming
Red Rock Resort Sportsbook Director Chuck Esposito stated he “really felt” Sunday’s Super Bowl was going to smash the record, with his firm “seeing six-figure wagers two weeks out.”
Esposito added: “There was just a different feel with the game being here from the crowds and the atmosphere in every one of our books.”
The Red Rock exec said the record handle for the Super Bowl tallies with what his firm sees in games featuring the Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Aces, plus prize fights, and UFC bouts.
“When they’re here, the handle on any of those events is always the highest,” Esposito said.