Pennsylvania sports books lose $6.5 million on Super Bowl betting
Nevada sports books won a record $22.1 million on Super Bowl LIX. Pennsylvania sports books did not.
Via David Purdum of ESPN.com, Pennsylvania sports books suffered a net loss of $6.5 million on Super Bowl LIX. With a record $101.5 million bet on the game — a 20.4 percent bump over the prior high from two years earlier — a high percentage were placed on the Eagles.
For ESPN Bet's Pennsylvania operation, 73 percent of the bets and 79 percent of the handle landed on the Eagles.
If running back Saquon Barkley had scored a touchdown in the game, it would have been worse. He was one of the top picks in the anytime-touchdown market.
The problem for Pennsylvania is that plenty of gamblers bet with their hearts, and won. When my dad made book in the 1970s just an hour from Pittsburgh, the customers always loaded up on the Steelers. And so he hated the local team, especially since they developed a bad habit of covering the spread.
In contrast, he loved the Cowboys. That was the team the locals loved to hate, and their bets reflected it.
It's no surprise, then, that (per Purdum) New York sports books posted a record $62.8 million win for the Super Bowl. (The number includes futures bets on the NFL champion.) Most Giants fans surely couldn't bring themselves to bet the Eagles, and the house thrived for it when the Eagles won easily.
That's the one thing I'll never forget about growing up in a bookie's household. The question was never, "Who are you rooting for?" The question always was, "Who do you need?"

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
37 minutes ago
- USA Today
Jeremiah Trotter Jr views pressure as a route to new opportunities with the Eagles
New responsibilities and Eagles injuries could crack the door for Jeremiah Trotter. We're entering year two of our discussions about nepotism and the Philadelphia Eagles' roster. Earlier this offseason, it was reported that there might be team interest in Asante Samuel Jr., but so far, the rumors have not led to any real action. That said, it seems more constructive to discuss a franchise legend's son who is already on the roster. It feels damn good to see the number 54 jersey on defense and know it belongs to Jeremiah Trotter Jr. This is Junior Axe Man. To most, he needs no introduction. His father was a big deal in midnight green. How fitting is it that his young lad was a proud member of Philadelphia's 2024 NFL Draft class? Some of us met him when we saw Dad holding him in his arms. The rest of the contingent may have met him during a successful run with the Clemson Tigers. Trotter Jr. enters his second Eagles training camp. Things seem to be going well. He appears to be making progress and has taken on a new responsibility that should provide him with more experience. That should benefit him as he walks into another regular season. There is also the injury to Nakobe Dean. He opens camp on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. After spending most of his rookie season contributing primarily on special teams, Trotter could see more meaningful snaps during games that count, but no one knows what that may look like at this point. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. adds to his palette at Eagles practice Jeremiah Trotter Sr. never won a Super Bowl with the Birds, though he did secure preferred seating at both victory parades. The younger Jeremiah Trotter won football's biggest game during his inaugural NFL season. He played primarily on special teams. One of the questions now is whether he will do so again this season. Most expected that, when he was drafted, 'Junior' would back up Nakobe Dean. No one expected, at that time, that Zack Baun would morph into a First-Team All-Pro. Thank Heaven that he did. It's always great to have as many great players on the roster as possible, but that shoved Trot Jr. further down the depth chart. Then came the selection of Jihaad Campbell during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. That seemingly clouded Trotter's picture even further. It would have seen that he would have tumbled down the depth chart had it not been for injury concerns surrounding Campbell and Dean entering Eagles training camp. Everyone has been in the mix. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has added to the mix of first- and second-year stars. Campbell has gotten snaps with the defense's first team. Trotter has been splitting play-calling duties with Zack Baun during training camp. Both may see significant roles. No one is 100% certain of what those roles are yet, not even Vic Fangio. Thankfully, none of us has to perform the balancing acts.


CNET
37 minutes ago
- CNET
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for July 28 #308
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. I learned enough during gym-class track days to ace today's Connections: Sports Edition green category. Need an assist with the game today? Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: These players win championships. Green group hint: Team effort. Blue group hint: Sobriquet. Purple group hint: On the diamond. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Football defensive positions. Green group: Relay race terms. Blue group: Nicknames of NBA legends, with "The." Purple group: _____ run. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 28, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is football defensive positions. The four answers are cornerback, defensive end, linebacker and safety. The green words in today's Connections The theme is relay race terms. The four answers are anchor, baton, changeover and exchange zone. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is nicknames of NBA legends, with "The." The four answers are Admiral, Answer, Glove and Truth. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is _____ run. The four answers are earned, home, insurance and pinch.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former Patrick Mahomes teammate makes admission on Tom Brady
Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu gave an honest response when asked if he believed quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the greatest of all time. While he does think the three-time Super Bowl champion is closing in on that title, he isn't ready to put him ahead of former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. "I would say he's a great quarterback, but greatest of all time, I think that's still reserved for Brady," Mathieu said on Up & Adams. "And I think with Brady, that's just longevity. That's respect. That's just playing against this guy on the biggest stages. He was one of the most competitive, accurate. He just had a single mindset to win—win by any means necessary. He was always a challenge to go up against. Being the greatest of all time, I don't think it's like an eight, nine, 10-year thing." Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, has beaten Mahomes twice in the postseason—once in the 2018 AFC Championship Game and once more at Super Bowl LV. He also won a Super Bowl with two different football teams after leaving the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Mahomes is still only 29 years old and not completely out of the race. Mathieu acknowledged his former teammate might one day go down as the greatest of all time if he stays on his current trajectory. But that's a big hill to climb in a league where teams improve every year. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Former Patrick Mahomes teammate makes admission on Tom Brady