(Reuters) – The Kansas City Chiefs were not the only ones celebrating after this year’s Super Bowl as Nevada sportsbooks enjoyed their biggest haul in six years from the NFL championship, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said on Tuesday.
Nevada’s 190 sportsbooks kept a combined $18.8 million from Super Bowl bets, or 12.1% of the $154.7 million wagered on Sunday’s game, up from the $10.8 million, or 7.4% they kept last year, according to unaudited figures.
The win total is the second highest on record since the Nevada Gaming Control Board started tracking such wagers in 1990, trailing only the $19.7 million total set in 2014.
It also marks the 12th consecutive year Nevada sportsbooks have profited off the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs, led by dynamic quarterback Patrick Mahomes, stunned the San Francisco 49ers with a fourth-quarter comeback for the ages to secure a 31-20 victory and the franchise’s first Super Bowl triumph in 50 years.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
