Nevada Super Bowl Revenue Down As 2 Sportsbook Apps Go Down

Rewrite: Please note that this includes the updated win/handle numbers which have been released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday, February 15.

Nevada sportsbooks usually see the highest annual betting on the Super Bowl compared to any other individual game. However, despite this trend likely continuing this year, revenue figures have declined compared to recent years.

In the Super Bowl match between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles this year, bettors in Nevada wagered $153.2 million, as reported by the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NCGB). Of the total amount bet on the Super Bowl, sportsbook operators claimed almost $5.5 million in winnings, equating to a hold percentage of 3.6%.

Super Bowl betting resulted in varying levels of success for sportsbooks as reported. However, Caesars and William Hill, two operators, are likely to experience a dip in Super Bowl revenue. This is due to their sportsbook apps ceasing to function towards the end of the game’s first half.

William Hill is owned by Caesars and they both utilize identical technology for their Nevada sports betting apps.

Super Bowl Revenue Down

This year, the amount wagered on the Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl was $153.2 million, which was less than that of 2022, but more than the $136.1 million bet in 2021. Interestingly, the Chiefs also played in that game. The game ended with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beating the Chiefs 31-9.

The money wagered on this year’s Super Bowl was the fourth highest in history. However, it represented a significant decrease of 15% from the $179.8 million bet on the previous year’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

Since the NGCB began keeping records of the specific game in 1991, Nevada sportsbooks have profited from the Super Bowl in 31 out of the past 33 years.

In the past decade, the Nevada sportsbooks came closest to experiencing a Super Bowl loss in 2018. They barely made a profit of just over $1.1 million, retaining a mere 0.7% of all money bet.

Lamarr Mitchell, MGM Resorts director of trading, confirmed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the Super Bowl resulted in a significant victory for the house. He also noted that the revenue outcomes for individual sportsbooks varied depending on the operator.

Chuck Esposito, director of sportsbook at Red Rock Resorts (which includes Green Valley Ranch, Red Rock Casino, etc.), stated that the worst-case scenario would have been the Eagles winning, so the Chiefs’ victory was a positive outcome from their perspective.

Jay Kornegay, the executive vice president of the Westgate Superbook, told the Wall Street Journal that the Super Bowl “resulted in a victory day, but it wasn’t record-breaking,”.

Caesars And William Hill Apps Stop Working Abruptly

The betting technology for Caesars and William Hill experienced a malfunction on Sunday, beginning as the first half of the game concluded. This issue impacted bettors both within and outside casinos across the state.

During the Super Bowl, mobile bettors were unable to place In-Play bets or cash out winnings on either app. Additionally, they could not place bets on other games using these apps.

Even though Caesars owns William Hill, the two companies operate separate apps and distinct retail operations utilizing the same technology. The companies remained relatively silent as customers attempted to access their accounts.

The NGCB issued a statement on Monday, acknowledging they are aware of the problem. They announced that agents from their enforcement and technology division are actively investigating the issue.

PlayNevada contacted Michael Lawton, Senior Economic Analyst for the NGCB, for his thoughts on the effect of the outage. He stated that the technical issues faced by the William Hill Nevada sports betting platform did affect revenues. However, he added that they are unable to determine the exact financial impact of these issues.

Tuesday morning saw William Hill release a statement to provide the public with some understanding of the issues.

pic.twitter.com/SNAv6rhhug

From William Hill US (@WilliamHillUS) on February 14, 2025.

Customers can now place bets and redeem winnings from bets made in store before the Super Bowl. However, mobile app customers are still waiting for the app to be operational again.

In-Person Sportsbook App Registration Still An Issue

Unless bettors had previously set up multiple sportsbook accounts, they couldn’t make In-Play wagers with Caesars or William Hill during the second half of the Super Bowl.

The process of opening a sportsbook app account in Nevada is unique compared to most states where sports betting is legal.

Regulators in Nevada mandate that new sports betting app accounts must be established in-person at a casino sportsbook. This procedure is not common in most states.

Those who have legal sports betting available in their location have it more convenient. They can effortlessly download an app from another sportsbook operator and set up an account in a matter of minutes.

It’s unlikely that anyone would abandon watching the Super Bowl to go to a casino and set up a new mobile sports betting app account. The time-consuming process of traveling to a sportsbook, standing in line to open a new account would cause potential bettors to miss the thrilling final moments of the Super Bowl.

Caesars and William Hill function in many states, so the Nevada handle should not be too damaging. Nonetheless, the procedure of registering accounts in-person impacted every sportsbook operator in Nevada, who could have attracted a new customer if mobile account registration was feasible.

The recent outage of the Caesars and William Hill app further emphasizes the need to establish and finance several sportsbook apps. Exploring various apps allows for the comparison of odds to secure the most favorable returns. It also provides a safety net to prevent missing out on betting opportunities in case a sportsbook app crashes.