Betting on the Super Bowl was brisk at sportsbooks in big U.S. markets

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — With this year’s Super Bowl being played in Las Vegas, the nation’s gambling capital, there was little doubt that betting on the big game would be huge.

Statistics from several states where sports betting is legal prove that the prediction was true.

Nevada sportsbooks set a record by placing $185.6 million in wagers on the game, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs win their second straight championship by beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime.

The books left $6.8 million in profits, compared with $4.3 million a year ago, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said.

The total number of bets at Nevada’s 182 sportsbooks broke the previous record of $179.8 million from the 2022 Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. The 2023 Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles generated $153.1 million in bets.

In New Jersey, Atlantic City’s nine casinos, the three horse tracks that accept sports betting, and their online partners processed $141.6 million in bets on the Super Bowl, according to the state Division of Gaming Enforcement — a 30% increase from last year. annual total.

This resulted in a profit of almost $8.5 million for the sportsbooks, compared to $12.8 million a year ago.

In Pennsylvania, $71.5 million was wagered on the Super Bowl, a 15% decrease from last year’s Super Bowl, in which the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Chiefs.

Other states with large sports betting markets, including New York and Illinois, had not yet reported betting levels for this year’s Super Bowl as of Wednesday evening.

Maine, which offered Super Bowl gambling for the first time, saw about $3.5 million wagered online, according to an estimate from the state’s Gambling Control Unit.

Simplebet, the micro-betting site popular with gamblers who want to bet on isolated moments within a game, said it saw a double-digit increase in the number of Super Bowl bets (1 million, up 33%) and it total bet amount. ($17 million, up 29%)

“We are thrilled to see the deep engagement from gamblers across the country,” said company CEO Chris Bevilacqua. “The increased engagement in Simplebet markets we have seen this season is consistent with the overall increase in NFL TV ratings.”

BetMGM said 30% more bets were needed on the Super Bowl this year than last year, although the actual number was not disclosed.

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