(Reuters) – The Philadelphia Eagles were not the only big Super Bowl winners as their rout of the Kansas City Chiefs led to record winnings for sportsbooks in the U.S.’s biggest gambling state Nevada, according to unaudited figures released on Tuesday.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board said bettors wagered a total of $151.6 million on the NFL’s championship game at Nevada’s 186 sportsbooks and that the house walked away with a collective record profit of $22 million for a hold percentage of 14.6%.
The bets placed in Nevada sportsbooks on this year’s Super Bowl, however, was down 20% from the record $190 million that was wagered in the state on last year’s championship game in Las Vegas that resulted in a hold percentage of 5.9%.
Sportsbooks stood to make more off an Eagles win this year since so much more money during the NFL season was placed on teams like the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens winning the Super Bowl.
Last week the American Gaming Association, a trade group representing the U.S. casino industry, said it expected a record $1.39 billion to be legally wagered in the United States on the Super Bowl.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named the Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl on Sunday after leading his team to a 40-22 win over the Chiefs in New Orleans.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
