Looking back at the sports wagering landscape over the past few months, Super Bowl LIV stands out as the not only the biggest betting event over the past couple months but rather the biggest betting event of the year. With the magnitude of action that the sportsbooks will be handling, you can be sure that plenty will be there to cover the action and we will take a look into what’s being said in regards to the championship game and massive betting figures, paying special attention to how the biggest betting day in the country was covered in media.
There is no bigger day in sports wagering than the super bowl. Year after year we see pros and average joes line up to take a crack at the big game against the spread. A uniqueness that comes with the behemoth event is all the proposition bets offered. Will Trump Tweet at any point in the game? (odds on yes vs. no) Over or under 2:04 on Demi Lavato’s rendition of the National Anthem? Or, what color Gatorade will be poured on the winning coaches head? As you can see the books are open for business from every angle and are glad to take the action.
Taking a look at Yahoo staff writer Frank Schwab’s article titled Super Bowl LIV Betting Recap: Cheifs Comeback, Under Were Enormous Wins For Sportsbooks, we learned that the championship day was a big win for sportsbooks. The article gives the reader a glimpse into the numbers associated with the betting handle. Schwab tells us that per the Nevada Gaming Control Board “the hold for the Super Bowl for all casinos was 12.1 percent, a huge win. Stoneback said it was MGM’s best win percentage since at least 2008.” Additionally, we learn that $154,679,241 was bet on the super bowl. The overall win for Nevada casinos came in at $18,774,148.
Schwab does a great job of recapping the big event. He gives the reader some insight into how to open up the game the books were in the hole as Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes scored the first touchdown of the game by running it in himself. The odds of that happening were 21-1, meaning a $100 dollar bet would have yielded a $2,100 win. Plenty of bettors had a winner righ off the bat. However, the big money came in on San Francisco and over the game total of 54. Well, the game stayed under 54 points equaling a massive win for the books.
Though the figures were reported accurately, Schwab could have improved this betting recap by expanding beyond Nevada and MGM. With sports wagering spreading as a new national market, I would have liked to see some coverage on other markets. How did Atlantic City do? The Fanduel sportsbook at the meadowlands? Iowa as a new legal state, Oregon, or even the river boats of Mississippi?
Nevada’s figures are readily available and seasoned staff writers should avoid getting comfortable and relying on where there sources were last season. There should be attention to where new markets are and how they faired. If I was reading the Las Vegas Review Journal I would expect only local figures and any national coverage would be a bonus. However, when Yahoo, who is new to sports gambling content coverage, does a recap as a reader I expected more than just Nevada’s figures.
Consequently, we do get a good sense of just how the action stacked up financially and a big winning day for Nevada more than likely indicates the same for other markets. However, we are left to speculate or dig deeper perhaps looking for regional coverage congruent with your specific region of interest. With sports wagering in it’s infancy stage nation wide, as journalist, bloggers, or even informed readers, we must ensure that we now include all the new players in this game of cat and mouse.
Francisco Healy
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