Thrilling Super Bowl sets Punting Records as Well
Published February 12, 2017 by Lee R
Subtle competitive tendencies and special types of bets affect individual sportsbook take.
Record betting totals are in for the Super Bowl.
Record Handle
Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett has reported a record betting handle of $138.5 million (€129.6 million) for licensed operators taking action on the game. The figure represents an all-time high for the event which surpasses the previous record of $132.5 million set last year.
Stat Totals
With the house coming out ahead for the 25th time in the last 27 years, the take for Nevada-licensed sportsbooks will reach $10.9 million of the betting volume. The total represents the third-highest in the last 10 years but still falls substantially short of the record $19.7 million sportsbooks brought in from the 2014 Super Bowl.
Nevada Benefits
Nevada is the only state in the US where sports betting is legal, with several states considering new bills legalising sports betting at the state level.
Hill’s Strange Day
The only sportsbook to suffer any significant loss on the day was William Hill, whose six figure shortfall was attributed to live betting on the Patriots at long shot odds after they'd fallen way behind. This is a telling reflection on the difficulty of putting away the Patriots, with enough punters challenging Atlanta’s ability to hold on and get the result despite early game dominance.
Overtime Only Helps
The first overtime in history did not hurt Vegas, unexpected as it was, cashing at 7-to-1.
Patriots Still Prevailed
The bottom line is that the battle-tested Patriots won, so despite the drama sportsbooks still took all Falcons' money-line and point-spread bets, plus a second infusion coming from a late surge of Under bets on Saturday and Sunday.
Under Issue
All under bets took a hit when New England forced overtime at 28-28, leaving only an unlikely game-ending safety in the sudden death overtime as the means by which to save some Under bets. In other words, anyone who bet on a score closer than six (touchdown) or three (field goal) lost hope when the game went to overtime.
Common Vegas Win
The final results maintained the Giants' 17-14 upset of the Patriots in 2008 and the 49ers' 49-26 shellacking of the Chargers in 1995 as the only Super Bowls bookies have lost on in the since Nevada Gaming Control records.
