Nevada Gaming Control Board Incorrectly Reports Super Bowl Win, Hold Numbers

The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles with a score of 38-35 in the Super Bowl LVII, marking the end of another NFL season. The Chiefs’ victory was a surprising upset.

So, what’s on the horizon? Understandably, everyone is interested in acquiring comprehensive information about the gambling statistics. These figures encompass the total sum bet on the game and the specific team, as well as the potential earnings of sports books and their hold percentages.

Every year, the Gaming Control Board in Nevada releases figures. However, upon further analysis, it was discovered that the win amounts for the last two Super Bowls were inaccurately reported.

To summarize, the reported figures for the Nevada sportsbook win and win percentages were exaggerated, with the actual numbers being lower than initially stated. The win and hold percentages were inflated by over 50% for the 2025 Super Bowl and by roughly 30% for the 2022 major game.

Super Bowl holds in Nevada were lower than reported

Here are the win/hold figures that were previously reported inaccurately:

In 2025, the book win was $11.2 million with a 7.4% hold. In contrast, in 2022, the book win was $15.4 million with an 8.6% hold.

The accurate, revised figures are as follows:

In 2025, there was a book win of $5.4 million with a 3.6% hold. In 2022, the book win was $11 million with a 6.2% hold.

The reported figures have not been audited, and press releases containing information are issued to ensure accuracy for stakeholders and also as a courtesy for informational purposes.

In Nevada, a total of 185 sportsbooks accepted $153.2 million in bets for the 2025 Super Bowl. Reports released on the following Monday indicate a 14.8% decrease from 2022.

Upon reviewing the previous ten Super Bowls, the highest hold percentage was in 2014 at 16.5%, yielding a win total of $19.6 million. Conversely, 2018 recorded the lowest hold percentage at 0.7%, with a book win of $1.1 million.

Defining hold percentages in the sports betting world

A hold percentage is essentially the “tax” amount that sportsbooks retain from each dollar bet. The percentage varies depending on the kind of bet that is placed.

In essence, sportsbooks are responsible for setting the odds. Even though it would be ideal to have equal money on both sides, it is not feasible. Over time, sportsbooks generate their earnings by retaining a significant portion of these odds.

When computing probabilities during betting, you may observe that the sum of the two sides exceeds 100. This is attributed to the “tax” or commission that sportsbooks charge for your bets.

The amount the sportsbook is holding is determined by adding up the probability of the outcomes and subtracting 100.

Generally, holds with two outcomes amount to less than 5%, but bets involving dozens of outcomes can reach up to 50%.