Las Vegas — The Super Bowl was a record-setter in Vegas.
Bettors wagered a record $81.2 million on the New England-Carolina matchup, with Nevada sports books winning a record $12.4 million, state gambling regulators said Wednesday.
The amount bet on Sunday's Super Bowl topped the previous mark of $77.2 million set in 1998, when Denver beat Green Bay, according to figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
"I don't think any of us anticipated that we would set a record," said Robert Walker, oddsmaker for MGM Mirage properties in Las Vegas. "People were in a very good mood ... and they put their money down."
The results from 152 legal sports books in the state underscored post-game comments from Las Vegas oddsmakers, who reported a double-digit increase in business from a year ago.
Sports books won big Sunday when the Patriots won 32-29 on a late field goal. Most oddsmakers had the Patriots favoured by seven points and the game's total score at about 38 points, meaning fans could bet whether the total score would be over or under that.
Frank Streshley, a research analyst with the state Gaming Control Board, said he couldn't explain why the handle, or the amount wagered, was higher than a year ago. He said casinos won because people bet the Super Bowl would be a low-scoring game.
The 15.3 per cent casino win ratio was less than the 16.3 per cent in 2001, when $67.7 million was wagered and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants, 34-7. Because the bet total was lower, casinos won $11.2 million that year.
Nevada sports books took $71.6 million in wagers on the Super Bowl a year ago, and reported winning $5.2 million, a ratio of 7.3 per cent.
Casinos won just $472,033 in 1998, a ratio of 0.6 per cent.
