Nevada sportbooks’ profits, handle were down for Super Bowl LX

The house always wins. But sometimes it doesn’t win as much as usual.

Via David Purdum of ESPN.com, Nevada sportsbooks won $9.9 million on $133.8 million in bets involving the Seahawks and the Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

Purdum added that both numbers are “down considerably from last year’s game.”

Indeed they are. Last year, Nevada won a record $22.1 million on $151.6 million in wagers. The handle was a 20-percent drop over the prior year. The Super Bowl LX handle represents an 11.7-percent reduction over Super Bowl LIX.

Last year’s profits flowed largely from parlays based on Eagles running back Saquon Barkley scoring a so-called “anytime touchdown.” He scored a touchdown at no time during the game, killing every three-leg wager that relied on his two legs carrying the football into the end zone.

Generally speaking, the entire Las Vegas experience has been in decline since the floodgates opened for nationwide legalized sports betting. With wagering and casino games now available to be played on a cell phone in most states, what used to happen in Vegas has not stayed in Vegas.