Nevada regulator releases Super Bowl betting stats

Sunday’s monumental Super Bowl clash between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers generated wagering of almost $94 million, giving Nevada bookies a hold of 7.3 percent, according to official numbers from theNevada Gaming Control Board.

Board chairman A.G. Burnett said late Monday: “Unaudited figures show a sports book win of $7,206,460 was recorded on wagers totalling $98,936,798. This resulted in a hold percentage of 7.3 percent.”

Comparative numbers from 2012 show wagering at $93,899,840, giving bookies a win of $ 5,064,470 or 5.4 percent when the N.Y. Giants beat New England 21 to 17.

This year the 49ers started out as 5-point favourites, but gamblers bet the line down to 3 ½ points, and the 65 points scored in New Orleans easily exceeded the over/under of 49. Late money poured in for the “over” wager and for the 49ers, who have built a reputation as a second-half team, but they were pipped at the post by the Ravens in a 34 vs. 31 win.

Nevada sports books have lost only twice on the Super Bowl in the past 20 years, most recently in 2008, when New York beat the Patriots, costing bookies a record $2.6 million.

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