By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
An extra Sunday of NFL football in November, plus no NBA or NHL games to bet on because of the coronavirus schedule last month, added up to a $502 million bet on NFL games out of a total handle of $609.6 million in the state of Nevada in November, according to the state’s gaming control agency.
And sportsbooks cashed in bigtime to the tune of a record $61.8 million — up 99.3 percent over a year ago, according to Michael Lawton, senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
“November had an extra Sunday which was a catalyst for football betting activity, in addition to the fact that not competing with hockey and basketball (which would typically both be playing in November) is also a contributing factor to the record football number in November,” Lawton wrote to LVSportsBiz.com Wednesday.
“Additionally, the total win amount for sports represents an all-time record for sports books in Nevada. This record was driven by football win which totaled $56.0 million and is an all-time record for football win as well,” Lawton wrote.
The sportsbook money wagered of $609.6 million was down slightly, less than 1 percent at 0.8 percent, from last November, according to Lawton’s numbers.
Sports wagers made with mobile apps won $23.5 million on $343.9 million in wagers, holding 6.84 percent, according to Lawton. This write amount accounted for 56.4 percent of total wagers, he said.
November was a big month for sports betting, according to MGM Resorts International:
NJ $932M (record for 1 state in 1 month)
NV $610M
PA $492M
IN $251M
CO $231M
TN $131M (highest 1st month ever)