Tom Brady, Las Vegas sportsbooks win another Super Bowl

Tom Brady has got nothing on Las Vegas sportsbooks when it comes to winning Super Bowls.

Brady won his seventh Super Bowl on Sunday in Tampa Bay’s stunning 31-9 upset of Kansas City, which closed as a 3-point favorite.

The books won their 29th Super Bowl in the 31 years since the Nevada Gaming Control Board started tracking the NFL title game in 1991.

Westgate, William Hill, Circa, Station Casinos, South Point and the Golden Nugget each reported solid wins on Super Bowl LV.

“It was a great day. Tampa plus the under was huge for us, and the props turned out very good,” Golden Nugget sportsbook director Tony Miller said. “The Kansas City money that came late made our day.”

Bettors lost on the Chiefs against the spread and won on the Buccaneers on the money line. The money line is a simple wager on which team will win the game. Tampa Bay closed at +140, meaning a $100 wager on the Bucs paid $140.

The books won big on the total, which is the combined points by both teams. It closed at 55½ and stayed way under.

“Keeping it under was really the key to the day,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “We had money on Kansas City on the point spread and Tampa on the money line. But everything seemed to be tied to the over.”

The books also reported an increased handle, or amount wagered, on the game over last year despite the coronavirus pandemic restricting capacity in casinos.

“We did see an uptick on handle,” Esposito said. “It looks like there’s a good chance the industrywide handle could be up.”

A flurry of six-figure wagers were placed at Las Vegas books on Sunday, including a $2.5 million money-line bet on the Chiefs (-165) at BetMGM and a $1.16 million money-line wager on the Chiefs (-155) at William Hill.

BetMGM also took a $2.3 million bet to win $2 million on the Bucs +3½ (-115) on Jan. 28. But BetMGM didn’t take any wagers during the game. The BetMGM app and system at MGM Resorts’ retail books in Nevada reportedly went down before kickoff and stayed that way until after the game as bettors waited to cash their tickets.

Asked for comment, MGM Resorts sent the Review-Journal the following statement that BetMGM issued on Twitter:

“We’re aware of the current issues in NV across the BetMGM app and within our retail sportsbooks. Our teams are actively working on fixing these issues and we appreciate the patience of our NV customers as we work to restore full functionality.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.