Seattle Seahawks fans Brittney Gutierrez, center, and her husband Mike Gutierrez, left, celebrate while watching Super Bowl XLVIII at Big Al's in Vancouver, Wash., Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014. Seattle defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8. (AP Photo/The Columbian, Steven Lane)
Nevada’s licensed sports books won big in Sunday’s Super Bowl, raking in more than double what they won last year and more than from any of the past 10 Super Bowls.
According to unaudited figures provided by the books to the Gaming Control Board, it was a record year for the total amount wagered. Control Board Chairman A.J. Burnett said $119.4 million was wagered statewide.
The sports books kept 16.5 percent of that total, or $19,673,960. In the past decade, the only year in which their win percentage was higher was 2005, when they kept 17 percent of the $90.7 million wagered.
The huge profit is a clear indication that a majority of bettors took the Broncos, who were favored by 2½ points. Seattle won the game in a blowout, 43-8.
That compares with the $7.2 million bookies won in 2013 on a total of $98.9 million wagered; that is still a respectable 7.3 percent win. That is much better than, for example, 2011, when sports books’ profit was just 0.8 percent — $724,176 out of $87.5 million wagered as Green Bay beat Pittsburgh 31-25 and far better than 2008, when they actually lost $2.57 million out of $92 million wagered — a loss of 12.87 percent when the New York Giants beat New England 17-14.