|
 Super
Bowl Bets in Vegas
May Exceed $100
Million for First
Time
Jan. 25 (Bloomberg)
-- The allure of a
perfect season for
the New England
Patriots or a
historic upset for
the underdog New
York Giants may
boost Super Bowl
wagers at Las Vegas
sports books above
$100 million for the
first time.
Last year's National
Football League
championship game
between Indianapolis
and Chicago resulted
in $93.1 million in
legal bets at
Nevada's 176 sports
books, down from the
record $94.5 million
wagered on the Super
Bowl in 2006.
The 18-0 Patriots
are favored by 12
points for the Feb.
3 game in Glendale,
Arizona. Most Las
Vegas sports books
opened the line at
13 1/2 points and
then lowered it as
the majority of the
early betting was on
the 13-6 Giants, who
have won three
straight playoff
games as underdogs.
``I do expect
wagering to exceed
$100 million,'' Art
Manteris, vice
president of race
and sports book
operations at
Station's Red Rock
Casino in Las Vegas,
said in a telephone
interview. ``The
Patriots are very
popular and their
quest for an
undefeated season
causes a lot of
interest. And having
a major-market team
like New York
involved is a big
plus.''
The Patriots have
won three of the
past six NFL titles
and are seeking to
join the 1972 Miami
Dolphins as the
second team in
league history to
cap an undefeated
season with a Super
Bowl win. The
Giants, in the
championship game
for the first time
since 2001, are
attempting to become
the second team to
win a Super Bowl
after logging a 10-6
regular-season
record.
``This is a unique
game and we're
expecting a record
handle,'' said Jeff
Sherman, assistant
manager of the
Hilton Race and
Sports Book in Las
Vegas. ``You're
going to have people
that probably don't
normally get
involved in the
wagering aspect of
it getting caught up
in the hype and
saying, `Let me put
down a bet since
everyone else is
doing it.'''
 `Big Money Bets'
Frank Streshley, a
senior gaming
analyst for the
Nevada Gaming
Control Board, said
he thought Super
Bowl wagering might
reach $100 million
last year, when
Colts quarterback
Peyton Manning was
trying to win his
first title against
a popular Bears
franchise that's
been a cornerstone
of the NFL for 86
years.
Because of last
year's slight
decline, and due in
part to a slowing
economy, Streshley
said that the total
amount legally
wagered on this
year's game may not
reach the milestone.
He said it would
also depend on
whether sports books
get the ``big money
bets,'' or wagers in
excess of $100,000.
``I think it'll get
a good handle,''
Streshley said in a
telephone interview.
``If we surpass $100
million, I might be
a little surprised
there. Again, it
depends on if the
big bettors come in
or not. With New
England, we've had
some of the better
handles in the past
10 years in terms of
amounts wagered.''
Nevada is the only
U.S. state in which
sports betting is
legal. Hundreds of
millions more
dollars are bet on
the Super Bowl at
online sports books
located outside the
U.S.
Previous Matchup
The Patriots beat
New York 38-35 at
Giants Stadium in
the final week of
the regular season.
The Giants haven't
lost since, beating
Tampa Bay, Dallas
and Green Bay in the
playoffs, and have
covered the point
spread in their past
five games. That
includes the first
matchup with New
England, in which
the Giants were
14-point underdogs
and held a 28-16
second-half lead
before quarterback
Tom Brady, the NFL's
Most Valuable
Player, rallied the
Patriots for their
16th straight win.
New England, after
covering its first
six games of the
season and
outscoring opponents
by an average of 23
points, has failed
to win by more than
the point spread in
the past five games.
The Patriots beat
Jacksonville by 11
points in their
playoff opener and
San Diego by nine in
last week's AFC
championship.
``The money so far
has been decidedly
on the Giants,''
said Manteris.
``People saw the
Giants play the
Patriots real tough
a couple of weeks
ago and have seen
the run that they're
on. The Patriots
haven't been
covering the spread
now for the past two
months. They were on
a tremendous roll
the first half of
the season, covering
the point spread
easily every week,
but now the tide has
turned.''
To contact the
reporter on this
story: Erik
Matuszewski in New
York at
matuszewski@bloomberg.net
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