Gambling on the Super Bowl has always been popular, but it will almost certainly be an even bigger market in the upcoming NFL Championship game as a result of expanded legalized sports gambling across the U.S. With Super Bowl LIV coming on February 2, the bets sportsbooks are taking range from the odd to the game-changing, and both the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs are seeing a lot of action.
Sportsbooks have shared a portion of the data on Super Bowl bets they’ve seen up until now. With the big day rapidly drawing closer, there will be more, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few million-dollar (or more) bets set. DraftKings stands out up until now, recording a $684,000 wager on the San Francisco 49ers, at -2 (- 114) to win, with the gambler buying half a point in insurance. That wager was prepared a couple of days ago at the gambling operator’s New Jersey-based DraftKings Sportsbook, and the company also received, through its West Virginia activities, another $50,000 bet on the San Fran moneyline at +108.
The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia additionally got a six-figure wager on Tuesday. $187,000 was put on the Niners moneyline (+107). If it proves successful, the gambler stands to pick up just over $200,000, plus the original investment.
MGM’s sportsbook in Las Vegas saw some activity earlier in the week when it took $150,000 on the Kansas City Chiefs moneyline (-125). With the degree of bets consistently found in Sin City, this is just the start, and sportsbooks are solid and steady to deal with wagers of seven and eight figures. The payout on the $150K wager, should it hold up, is $120K plus the initial bet amount.
The Westgate Las Vegas works a sportsbook that is big enough that it had to be given an alternate name. The Westgate SuperBook is used to steady activity, but is still waiting for the massive bets to start rolling in. As it waits, the largest wager it has seen so far was one for $110,000 that the Super Bowl would go over 52.5 points. This one may be somewhat precarious.
On a 49ers moneyline (Even) wager, William Hill US saw a single wager for $100K this past Sunday. It is hard to back this wager with that much cash, except if you truly have money to burn. William Hill was no doubt incredibly happy to take this bet.
As per the pooled information on bets so far ahead of the Super Bowl, most cash is being put on the Over. On Monday, SouthPoint in Las Vegas saw 75 wagers on the Over and only one on the Under in the 24 hours after the line was posted. DraftKings shows that 90% of the wagers, and 96% of the cash, has been for the Over, which sat at 54 early yesterday.
Given the correct conditions, putting down wagers on the game can be amazingly worthwhile. For instance, FanDuel must be prepared to give out $127,000 on a $10,600 bet at 11-1 should the Niners win. Westgate got $15,000 at 14-1 for the Chiefs to win, for which the sportsbook would need to pay $210,000. CG Technology is on the line for $120,000 for a $10,000 wager at 12-1 and another $90,000 at 6-1 on a $15,000 wager favoring the Chiefs.
Nevada sportsbooks started following sports gambling activity in 1991 with the NFL Championship game. From that point forward, they have incurred losses of $174.69 million, of which $2.896 million originated from only two games – Super Bowl XXIX and Super Bowl XLII – and they have, for the most part, kept up a winning record. As indicated by Nevada gaming regulators, sportsbooks have earned $2.55 billion in bets over the same period.
