We’re getting some more information about just how well Nevada sportsbooks fared on Super Bowl LIV. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that some local shops enjoyed their best Super Bowl in over a decade due in large part to the total staying ‘Under’ the total. Meanwhile, the official Super Bowl handle/hold report from the Nevada Gaming Control Board was not released on Monday as expected due to ‘technical difficulties’ with one sportsbook.
With the game staying ‘Under’ the total and a number of props going in favor of the house it looked like Nevada bookmakers were going to have a decent profit despite a win and cover by the public backed Chiefs. Reports in the Las Vegas media now suggest that at least some sportsbooks in the state fared much better. MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment each had a multi-million win on Super Bowl LIV. Mirage sportsbook director Jeff Stoneback said that it was MGM’s best outcome in a number of years:
“We did very well. I know for a fact that it’s our best Super Bowl since at least 2008. We had the best-case scenario for us, Chiefs and under.”
That same situation looks to have played out across town. Caesars Entertainment sportsbook director Bill Sattler said that the Chiefs/Under was also the best result for his properties:
“It was our best scenario. We were real heavy on the Niners money line and a lot of it was from Lake Tahoe.”
Sattler also said that his properties were in decent shape on the side regardless of who won. The total staying ‘Under’ was the big difference maker:
“The total is really what we were sweating more than anything. It didn’t matter who won this year.”
Based on comments from Station Casinos sportsbook manager Chuck Esposito it appears that most of the Nevada books were in a similar situation with the ‘Under’ result crucial despite plenty of ‘sharp’ action:
“The total dropped due to sophisticated play, but the public played both teams and the over. Keeping the game under as an industry, everyone should shake out OK.”
The LVRJ reports that in addition to the MGM and Caesars results that CG Technology enjoyed a ‘high six figure’ win while Station, William Hill, the Westgate and South Point were characterized as having ‘solid wins’. Caesars and William Hill benefited from their books in Northern Nevada. As the closest sportsbetting ‘outs’ to the San Francisco Bay area they typically take a lot of Niners’ action.
Hopefully, the official statewide numbers from the Nevada Gaming Control Board will be released on Tuesday. The Super Bowl handle/hold numbers were supposed to be released on Monday but could not be finalized due to ‘technical difficulties’:
Nevada’s Super Bowl handle — or amount wagered on the game — wasn’t released Monday, as expected, by the state’s Gaming Control Board. NGCB research analyst Michael Lawton told VSiN that one licensee was having “technical difficulties” and unable to file its report, so the figures couldn’t be finalized.
Based on what we know the hold figure should be good with the big question concerning the handle on the game.
