Nevada sportsbooks earned near-record revenue on the 2020 Super Bowl while coming just shy of eclipsing its all-time wagering handle record.
Figures released Tuesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show the state’s licensed sports betting operators took in just under $154.7m in wagers on Sunday’s big game, around $8.7m better than the books reported on 2019’s big game and second only to 2018’s record $158.6m.
Nevada books kept just under $18.8m in revenue based on a 12.1% hold, the best win rate since 2014’s 16.5%. The books got a lot of help from Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes, whose decision to take a knee on the game’s three final snaps resulted in a combined loss of 15 rushing yards, pushing his rushing total well below most bettors’ expectations on one of Sunday’s most popular prop bets.
Not all bettors took a bath on Sunday. The Action Network reported that a Golden Gate casino bettor placed two wagers on each team’s final score, both of which paid off. The bettor, who goes by the thoroughly appropriate Twitter handle Gambleballs, won $70k on a $3.5k wager on the 49ers score and $160k on a $10k wager on the Chiefs’ final tally.