It’s only fitting that one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory would go on to break a record. Super Bowl 57 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs produced $84.3 million in wagers, smashing 2022’s record of $68 million in handle, a 24% increase.
PA sportsbooks made a hefty $29.7 million in revenue.
This was the fifth Super Bowl with legal online sports betting in Pennsylvania.
PA Super Bowl betting falls right in line with projections
Prior to Super Bowl 57, PlayPennsylvania projected a handle of $65.01 million before the Eagles reached the Big Game.
When the Eagles punched their ticket, PlayPennsylvania adjusted handle totals to reach north of $80 million because of the Eagles’ loyal fan base. The numbers suggest Eagles fans proved their loyalty. It also does not include those that made the trip to Arizona and perhaps wagered more money there.
Handle has increased drastically in each year, with PA sportsbooks earning a huge share of the revenue in 2023.
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Handle | $24,035,942 | $47,497,202 | $61,106,349 | $73,997,001 |
| Retail Handle | $6,728,544 | $6,137,478 | $6,938,462 | $10,316,188 |
| Total Handle | $30,693,942 | $53,634,680 | $68,044,810 | $84,313,189 |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Revenue | -$2,840,675 | $9,418,535 | $3,877,693 | $25,070,884 |
| Retail Revenue | -$450,894 | -$24,264 | $697,646 | $4,652,018 |
| Total Revenue | -$3,334,787 | $9,394,271 | $4,575,339 | $29,722,902 |
The Eagles not covering, and losing outright, is likely a big reason why PA sportsbooks earned so much revenue.
DraftKings PA Sportsbook reported 83.3% of the handle was on the Eagles and 78.8% of the handle on the Eagles’ moneyline. In DraftKings’ live betting statistics, 55% of bets and money was on the Eagles’ spread.
Super Bowl prop bets in PA
Another reason PA sportsbooks had one of their best days is because of Super Bowl MVP betting.
Jalen Hurts was the obvious frontrunner to win MVP if the Eagles won, and Haasan Reddick was a popular second choice. Together, Hurts and Reddick made up 53.1% of the handle in PA. Patrick Mahomes, who won the MVP, accounted for 9.4% of the handle at +120, the shortest odds of any player.
Hurts was +135 and Reddick was +3000.
Many PA bettors had stock in Reddick winning MVP, because DraftKings reported that defensive lineman was the highest bet on position, in terms of handle, to win Super Bowl MVP with 21.3% of handle money. Tight end was second with 15.5% of the total handle. Quarterback was fifth, behind receiver and running back, at 11.1% of the handle.
Retail PA sports betting also set record in handle and revenue
Since 2020, retail betting has seen a handle for Super Bowl Sunday consistently around $6 million in PA.
PA retail betting hasn’t surpassed $1 million in revenue until Sunday.
Largely due to the Eagles in the Super Bowl, retail sportsbooks calculated over $10 million in bets and more than $4.6 million in revenue.
Live! Casino Philadelphia, located steps away from Lincoln Financial Field, had the best day it ever had since opening in 2021, according to Bryan Newman, the FanDuel Sportsbook General Manager at Live!.
“In addition to the Big Game being the most wagered-on sporting event since Live! opened in 2021, February 12, 2023 set the sportsbook’s single-day revenue record,” Newman said. “The Big Game’s handle was three times higher than last year’s, and eight of the top 10 wagers placed were on the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Though eight of those 10 bettors left the casino upset, sportsbooks certainly cashed in on the Eagles’ narrow defeat.
