American sports books end one of their most lucrative football seasons ever with a big win at the Super Bowl.
More than $ 136 million was wagered on Super Bowl LV with Nevada sports books. According to figures released Tuesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the state’s books won a net $ 12.6 million on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ upset with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The $ 136 million set was 12% lower than last year’s Super Bowl, in part due to occupancy restrictions at Las Vegas casinos amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, it was still the fifth most since the state put the betting action at stake in 1991. The five of the six reported bets of more than $ 1 million at the Super Bowl were placed in Nevada.
Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were also among the states that reported the Super Bowl victories. Data from leading geolocation firm GeoComply showed a 267% year-on-year increase in online matches during Super Bowl weekend – despite the fact that several sports books experienced service interruptions in the hours before and during the match.
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About $ 117.4 million has been put into the Super Bowl with sports books in New Jersey – an increase of 116% compared to the game last year. After suffering net losses on their first two Super Bowls, New Jersey books earned a net $ 11.3 million.
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Illinois sports books took $ 45.6 million in the Super Bowl bet – 94% of which was placed online – and won just $ 7.7 million on the state’s first Super Bowl with a legal betting market.
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Pennsylvania sports books played $ 53.6 million in betting on the Super Bowl and won a net $ 9.4 million. Sportsbooks did well with the Bucs pulling the trigger and covering the 3-point spread in a 31-9 game that was lower than expected.
“Overall a solid day,” Adam Pullen, assistant director of commerce for William Hill US, told ESPN. ‘The game goes down [the total] in Tampa [covering the spread] was the preferred outcome. Not many crazy long shots happened that the public wanted to bet on, which was good for us. ‘
One long shot that penetrated was Chief Sportsman Patrick Mahomes of Chiefs. A bettor in New Jersey placed a $ 3,000 bet on William Hill US on Mahomes and did not win a 15-1 score and won a net $ 45,000.
In 2020, Nevada sports books won a net $ 122.4 million on football matches – both at the university and at the pro – making it the most profitable football year ever for bookmakers in the state.
During the season, the amount on the chance of winning the Super Bowl was significantly lower, and the bets made a big drop in the race on the Super Bowl, especially with casinos limited to 25%.
Jay Kornegay, vice president of race and sports activities for the SuperBook in Westgate Las Vegas, said the bets on the Super Bowl in his store are similar to the amount wagered on last year’s game between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is.
“We actually handled more about this year’s game than for last year’s game,” Kornegay said. “But the total number has been lower than last year, but mainly due to the [Super Bowl] term pool is less than last year’s pool. ‘
In normal times, Kornegay says that Super Bowl Sunday in the sports book feels like a heavyweight fight is going to take place. This year, he said, it feels more like a “welterweight” fight.