Super Bowl bettors wager record $179.8 million at Nevada sportsbooks

The closely fought Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals thrilled not just fans but Nevada sportsbooks as well after the game fueled a record number of wagers from bettors.

Super Bowl LVI generated a record $179.8 million in bets at 179 sportsbooks across the Silver State, according to numbers released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Monday. The amount surpassed the previous record of $158.6 million set in 2018 prior to the pandemic.

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Betting on the game, which the Rams won over the Bengals 23-20, resulted in a $15.4 million win for Nevada sportsbooks overall, which is equal to a hold or win percentage of 8.6%. It is the third-highest win amount for Nevada sportsbooks in the last decade behind $19.7 million in 2014 and $18.8 million in 2020.

The record amount for wagers was likely caused by several key factors, said Michael Lawton, senior economic analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

“The COVID-19 restrictions were lifted (including masks), so that helped,” Lawton said when reached by phone on Monday afternoon. “You kind of had the normal Super Bowl game environment that we used to have pre-pandemic.”

Bettors also had two distinct betting options between the point spread and the money line for the game, which had a spread of -4.5. This attracted healthy action on both sides, according to Lawton.

Technology also helped as mobile sports betting continues to see growth.

“The phone betting with prop bets and in-play wagering continues to gain more acceptance,” Lawton said.

Add a growing trend in sports wagering in the last year and you have the recipe for a record-breaking Super Bowl. During the 2021 calendar year, for example, Nevada sportsbooks saw three straight months of wagers surpassing $1 billion. The state also posted a record $8.1 billion in total sportsbook write, Lawton added.

“All those moving parts are the reason why we hit this record,” Lawton said.

Jason Hidalgo covers business and technology for the Reno Gazette Journal, and also reviews the latest video games. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhidalgo. Like this content? Support local journalism with an RGJ digital subscription.