New Jersey sportsbooks just recorded the best Super Bowl ever, with the most money wagered on the Big Game since sports gambling became legal in the state.
According to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, wagering on Super Bowl 59 accounted for approximately $168.7 million, a 19% rise from the $141.6 million wagered last year.
The total sports wagering payout was approximated at $143.5 million, a profit of nearly $25.2 million for the state's sportsbooks.
This was a big step up from last year when sportsbooks earned just $8.5 million.
The figures released were from New Jersey's horse racetracks and Atlantic City casinos' early wagering reports. The revenue was generated through legal New Jersey sports betting sites and 11 retail sportsbooks.
Steady annual growth in Super Bowl sports betting has been witnessed in the Garden State. In 2023, total wagers amounted to $109.3 million, with the sportsbooks collecting $12.8 million in revenue. For 2022, sportsbooks accepted wagers of $143.7 million and reported a profit of $7.8 million.
A year earlier, the total amount wagered was $117.4 million, with revenue of $11.3 million, and for 2020, sportsbooks lost $4.3 million after accepting $54.3 million in wagers.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, denying them a historic three-peat. The game brought massive betting action, especially with the Eagles' popular following in the New Jersey area.
New Jersey Sportsbooks Not Alone
In addition to the positive news in New Jersey, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported that Nevada's sports books took in a combined $151.6 million in bets on the NFL Championship Game.
The wagers, distributed across 186 sportsbooks around the state, generated a record $22 million profit for the house, a 14.6% hold percentage.
Despite this profit, total wagers in Nevada were 20% lower than last year's record $190 million. Super Bowl 58, held in Las Vegas, had a smaller hold percentage of 5.9%.
Sportsbooks were poised to earn more money if the Eagles had won this year since much of the betting throughout the season had been on teams like the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens to win the title.
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that $101.5 million was wagered on this year's Super Bowl on the state's online and retail sportsbooks. This represents a 20.4% increase from the previous record in 2023 when the two teams faced off against one another.
However, the legal online Pennsylvania sports betting operators lost $6.5 million based on the number of winning wagers, mainly on the Eagles. Pennsylvania bettors could wager at 18 retail venues or 11 online sites, with 91% of bettors choosing to wager through online platforms.
This is unsurprising, as the Vancouver-based compliance tech company GeoComply revealed that 750,000 accounts across its online sportsbook customers were active during the Super Bowl matchup. Of that total, 724,000 online wagering accounts were created specifically for the NFL showpiece.
