Super Bowl wagering sets record for Nevada Sportsbooks

[clevfan]

Feb. 08, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Super Bowl wagering sets record

By MATT YOUMANS

REVIEW-JOURNAL


As much as NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue tries to ignore the existence of Las Vegas, it's obvious the league never has been a bigger hit in relation to sports betting.

A record $94.5 million was wagered on Super Bowl XL in Nevada, and the state's 176 sports books won $8.8 million, according to figures released Tuesday by the Gaming Control Board.

The handle increased for the fifth consecutive year, up from $71.5 million in 2002. The previous record set last year was just under $90.8 million.

"I can't see it slowing down for a long time," Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. "I thought there would be a record set, but I'm not surprised it did not reach $100 million. That would be a pretty big increase."

The Pittsburgh Steelers, 4-point favorites, defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Sunday's game at Detroit, and a wagering record in Nevada was widely expected.

Jimmy Vaccaro, a Las Vegas bookmaker for almost 30 years, was betting the $100 million mark would be reached.

"It's getting bigger and bigger," said Vaccaro, public relations director for Leroy's sports books. "My inclination was the handle would be higher this year simply because everyone I talked to did at least as much (business) as last year and 90 percent did more.

"It really does not matter what teams are in the game. It could be the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans and it would be big."

The low-profile Seahawks are not generally popular with bettors, but the Steelers have a large public following. The bottom line, Vaccaro said, is the NFL and sports betting are both growing in popularity every year.

"Gambling has won and it's accepted now. It surely does help put the NFL over the top," Vaccaro said.

"There would not be a boycott of football games if you couldn't bet on them. If there was not gambling on the Super Bowl, yes, it would hurt to some degree."

In MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker's opinion, the NFL and Las Vegas are lucky to have each other.

"Did betting make the NFL, or did the NFL make betting? It's a good marriage -- not one they want to be in -- but that's an interesting question," Walker said. "Would the NFL be as popular if there were no betting? I don't think so."

The league's TV ratings are probably boosted by bettors, Vaccaro said, especially in games in which the point spread is in doubt, as it was in the Super Bowl.

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck drove his team deep into Pittsburgh territory in the final minute, but the Seahawks did not get the back-door cover.

"Even bad games are not bad games with the number in the balance in the last quarter," Vaccaro said. "If you had Seattle or Pittsburgh, not one guy stopped watching the game. You talk about a captive audience, you've got it."

Nevada sports books have posted a win in 11 consecutive Super Bowls. The books last showed a Super Bowl loss of $396,674 in 1995, when San Francisco routed San Diego.

"It was probably one of the better two-way action games in the last 10 years," said Vaccaro, explaining the books benefited from most parlay bets being tied to the game going over the total of 47.

The line moved to 4 1/2 and generated two-way action to help balance the books.

"There was a lot of early money on Pittsburgh, but you did have a line move and a lot of late money on Seattle, and that's where the books did well," said Frank Streshley, the control board's statistical analyst.

The game was sloppily played and marred by questionable officiating calls, but that's not how Walker will remember it.

"It was a remarkable weekend," Walker said. "There was a lot more excitement in Vegas books than there was at that game."