Sports betting in Las Vegas on the Super Bowl declines

Gambling is proving to be far from recession-proof, as always believed, following the latest numbers on the Super Bowl betting in Nevada. According to the figures released recently, betting on the Super Bowl in the state of Nevada, the only state in the U.S. where gambling on sporting events is allowed, showed an 11% drop from the last year's game. The Las Vegas sportsbook took in $81.5 million in wagers on the Super Bowl game, considered the biggest sports betting event in the United States. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, however, the sportsbooks in Nevada made $6.7 million in profit from the 2009 Super Bowl, which is much better than the last year's loss of $2.5 million.

Still, the 11% drop in sports betting on the Super Bowl made 2009 the worst year since 2004, paired with the declining revenues in casinos nation-wide, shows that the recession has indeed hit the gambling industry. And even though the online sportsbooks which allow people from the United States to bet on sports do not disclose any revenue information, some sportsbook managers have confirmed that there is at least a single-digit decline in bets across the board.

Published on 02/05/2009