Nevada sports wagering operators were certain the 2023 Super Bowl in Phoenix-- a marquee match between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs-- would smash the game's betting record.

But sportsbooks fell almost $27 million listed below that prior mark-- $179.8 million bet in 2022 on the Los Angeles Rams 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals-- after tallying up the wagers placed on the Chiefs' 38-35 win last year.

With Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII occurring at Allegiant Stadium-- the first time the NFL national championship has actually been played in Las Vegas-- sportsbook operators once again anticipate banking on the game will hit a record overall, potentially breaking the $200 million mark.

What makes the game between the Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers different from a year ago?

" It's the ambiance. You can feel the energy," said Jason McCormick, who manages Red Rock Resorts' STN Sports betting business. "Everyone in Vegas is aware the Super Bowl is happening."

During the week in between the NFC and AFC championship games, which determined the Super Bowl individuals, he stated wagering was up 35 percent compared with the very same time in 2015.

The weeklong run-up to the video game saw large crowds flock to Mandalay Bay, which has been the de facto host resort for pre-Super Bowl LVIII activity. Other Strip and downtown gambling establishments have actually participated the action with different occasions. McCormick said interest has also carried into the Las Vegas residents gambling establishment markets.

With more than 500 proposition wagers and broadened in-game betting, McCormick stated Nevada gambling establishments might take in $250 million or more in bets on the Super Bowl, primarily since the game remains in Las Vegas.

Ken Fuchs, primary operating officer for Caesars Entertainment's sports betting and digital video gaming department, also believes Super Bowl LVIII will smash previous wagering overalls.

"The quantity of visitation for any Super Bowl is massive. Whether you're going to the video game or just being here to be in that type of environment, it will reveal up in our sports betting."

Caesars runs the William Hill sports betting service that is in more than 100 Nevada video gaming residential or commercial properties. The company also has 8 Strip resorts with Caesars Sportsbook branded centers, consisting of the sportsbook at Caesars Palace. Before 2018, When Nevada was the only state with legal sports betting, national tv teams would gather at Caesars Palace to report on the game's betting odds.

" You can feel the energy walking through the casino and entering into the sportsbook," Fuchs said.

Circa Casino Resort CEO Derek Stevens stated the Strip's Super Bowl-centric atmosphere was being reproduced downtown.

Part of the Circa conference center acted as a place for podcasters who were shut out from Radio Row at Mandalay Bay because the NFL lacked space. Circa Swim, the residential or commercial property's swimming pool area, hosted commentator Dan LeBatard's nationwide talk program.

Like his counterparts, Stevens stated he expects record wagering on the game, provided the matchup and Allegiant Stadium as the place.

A benefit for Circa is the company's sportsbook at Legends Bay Casino in Sparks. With the 49ers playing, Stevens anticipates a big following from the Bay Area-- where sports betting isn't legal-- to travel to Northern Nevada casinos to wager and see on the game.

Bob Scucci, who manages Boyd Gaming's sports wagering, said the increased interest in Las Vegas ought to translate into a record wagering total. Boyd has three casinos downtown and five in the residents market.

" The town is going to have more individuals and we expect to see more individuals at our residential or commercial properties than a regular Super Bowl," Scucci said. "I expect that to equate into more wagering action."

ESPN character Pat McAfee carries out an interview for his television program at Mandalay Bay in a Radio Row studio on Feb. 8, 2024. (Howard Stutz/The Nevada Independent).
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is spoken with by NBC Sports characters Chris Sims and Mike Florio on Mandalay Bay's Radio Row on Feb. 8, 2024. (Howard Stutz/The Nevada Independent).

There are some doubters.

Video gaming analysts have been hesitant to make glowing predictions about Super Bowl betting, regardless of Las Vegas hosting the game. Last year's Super Bowl in Arizona marked the first time the game was played in a state that offered legal sports betting. Next year's game is in New Orleans, where sports betting likewise is legal.

Chris Krafcik, who evaluates sports betting for Southern California advisory company Eilers & & Krejcik Gaming, approximated that $1.25 billion would be wagered lawfully on the video game in 38 states and Washington, D.C

. He said Super Bowl betting represent almost 1 percent of the nation's annual general sports betting figure, which stood at more than $106.8 billion through November for 2023, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA).

Krafcik stated he anticipates Nevada sportsbooks to produce $160 million in wagers on the game, practically 13 percent of the nationwide figure and the largest of any state "offered its host-state status." He expects New York sportsbooks to have the second-highest overall at $155 million.

" For sports wagering operators, generating income is not always the core goal of the game," Krafick composed. He stated sports wagering business view the Super Bowl as the single-largest chance to "acquire brand-new customers" for the next NFL season.

Since Friday, the 49ers were favored anywhere from 1.5 to 2 indicate beat the Chiefs. The teams' combined score was 47.5 points.

Macquarie Securities gaming expert Chad Beynon approximated the game would draw $1.5 billion in wagers nationally, but didn't break out Nevada's total. DraftKings cubicle on the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row in a convention center ballroom at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Feb. 5, 2024. FanDuel booth at the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on Feb. 5, 2024.

Notable operators are missing.

2 of the country's largest sports betting operators, DraftKings and FanDuel, preserved a presence during Super Bowl week, even though the companies can't accept sports wagers because they are not certified. Nevada gaming regulations need clients to register for mobile accounts in person at a casino with a certified operator. The majority of other states permit online registration.

Both business belonged to Radio Row inside Mandalay Bay with studios for their podcasts and streaming channels.

" It's not the very first time the Super Bowl has taken place in a state that DraftKings hasn't had the ability to use bets in, but we've still had a presence," DraftKings spokesman Stephen Miraglia said in an e-mail.

FanDuel spokesman Chris Jones stated the business will host a Super Bowl celebration in Las Vegas, although its clients will not have the ability to place wagers with its app.

Prominent beginners on the scene-- Fanatics Sports and ESPN Bet-- were faced with the very same constraint.

Fanatics, which launched sports wagering in 2015, was encouraging clients traveling to Las Vegas for the video game, to put their wagers ahead of time.

Krafcik said that due to the fact that of Nevada's policy restrictions on consumer sign ups and its "modest" market size, "the Silver State is just not a must-have for FanDuel, DraftKings and other online operators.".

Nevada's in-person registration policy does not sit well with Las Vegas-based gaming market advisor Brendan Bussmann. He suggested the state is hurting its reputation through the procedure.

" Las Vegas may be the sports and entertainment capital of the world however we will be leaving dollars at the border at kickoff," Bussmann stated of the Super Bowl. A customer sees a listing of the Super Bowl LVIII proposition wagers and parlay bets at the Durango Casino sportsbook on Feb. 9, 2024. American Gaming Association CEO BIll Miller (right) goes over unlawful sports betting with the Florida National News at Mandalay Bay's Radio Row on Feb. 7, 2024.

Cracking down on the prohibited market.

A lot of gamblers are still wagering with an unlawful bookmaker or an uncontrolled off-shore sports wagering company.

The AGA estimated that some 67.8 million American grownups-- 35 percent more than a year ago-- will bet more than $23 billion on the game. Just 11 percent said the bets would be placed with a state-licensed retail sportsbook or online company, according to Washington, D.C., research firm Morning Consult, which managed the study.

Given that 38 states and Washington, D.C.-- 5 more states than in 2022-- have actually legalized sports wagering, AGA CEO Bill Miller said the gaming industry's trade company still has work to do in educating sports gamblers to move away from the uncontrolled market.

Joined by previous NFL running back Mark Ingram II, a host on "Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff," tv show, Miller invested two days on Radio Row talking about the benefits of regulated sports wagering with practically 2 dozen talk shows and podcasts.

One of the AGA's initiatives is to persuade the media not to make use of betting odds offered by offshore operators. During the week, lots of nationwide broadcasts, consisting of NBC's "Today," mentioned offshore chances on wagers including singer Taylor Swift and her partner, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, such as whether he would propose to her after the game.

" Fortunately in Nevada, we have specific guidelines that prevent a few of those elegant wagers," Scucci stated. "I've seen a few of these offshore wagers about how many times the cam will pan to her. You can't have that in Nevada.".

STN Sports is offering a proposition bet authorized by Nevada video gaming regulators on whether Kelce will have more or fewer receptions in the Super Bowl than Swift's total number of platinum albums, which stands at 10. Since it's connected to action on the football field, the wager was authorized.