The Eagles Won On Sunday, And So Did Nevada Sports Books

Written By Marc Meltzer on February 7, 2018Last Updated on February 8, 2018
cartoon statue with Patriots helmet

Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles provided football fans with another close game. The Eagles won the Super Bowl thanks, in part, to a late turnover by New England quarterback Tom Brady. Philadelphia was a 4 to 6 point underdog in the weeks leading up to the Big Game.

The Eagles left Minnesota with the Lombardi trophy. Meanwhile, in Nevada, the sports books had another record-breaking Super Bowl. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, $158.6 million was wagered in Nevada’s 198 sports books on this year’s Super Bowl.

The record handle exceeded handle on the 2017 Super Bowl by more than $20 million. This continues a record-breaking streak for betting handle during the Super Bowl in Nevada that dates back to at least 2009. According to ESPN.com, Nevada sports books operators have won 26 of the past 28 Super Bowls.

Here is a look at how Nevada sports books have performed financially during the past 10 Super Bowls:

Year Wagers Win (Loss) Win % Game Results
2018 $158,586,934 $1,170,432 0.7% Philadelphia 41, New England 33
2017 $138,480,136 $10,937,826 7.9% New England 34, Atlanta 28
2016 $132,545,587 $13,314,539 10.1% Denver 24, Carolina 10
2015 $115,986,086 $3,261,099 2.8% New England 28, Seattle 24
2014 $119,400,822 $19,673,960 16.5% Seattle 43, Denver 8
2013 $98,936,798 $7,206,460 7.3% Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31
2012 $93,899,840 $5,064,470 5.4% N.Y. Giants 21, New England 17
2011 $87,491,098 $724,176 0.8% Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25
2010 $82,726,367 $6,857,101 8.3% New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17
2009 $81.514,748 $6,678,044 8.2% Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23

Bettors fared better than usual, as the casinos won less than one percent of the money wagered. Becky Harris from the Nevada Gaming Control Board said “unaudited figures show a sports book win of $1,170,432 was recorded,” from Super Bowl wagering. The hold percentage this year was only 0.7%.

[show-table name=cta-caesars]

Wins, losses and ham sandwiches

Some sports book operators had winning Super Bowls, some had losers, and one made enough money to buy a ham sandwich.

ESPN.com reports that Caesars Entertainment sports books in Nevada showed a large seven-figure win on the Super Bowl. However, not all sports book operators fared so well.

William Hill had a multi-million dollar loss after the Super Bowl. Three seven-figure bets alone combined for a loss of $4,634,782. Additionally, 75 percent of the money line bet tickets were on the underdog Eagles. William Hill operates more than 100 sports books in Nevada.

Jimmy Vaccaro from the South Point Casino had a more colorful way to describe how his sports book fared. The casino took late money line wagers on the Patriots, which offset potential losses and generated a small win. Hey, at least they won enough money to buy a ham sandwich for lunch.

Photo by VictorHugoGaribay / Shutterstock.com

Marc Meltzer Avatar
Written by

Marc Meltzer

Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He’s the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.

View all posts by Marc Meltzer