DraftKings Sportsbook, the lone regulated sports betting operator in New Hampshire, enjoyed plenty of action for Super Bowl LV. However, DraftKings probably got a little less enjoyment out of how much bettors won from those wagers.
According to the New Hampshire Lottery, bettors in the state wagered more than $7.1 million on this year’s big game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV by a lopsided score of 31-9.
Thanks to heavy betting on the underdog Bucs, those bettors won more than $8.8 million from Sunday’s game.
NH bettors profit from continued support of ‘GOAT’ Brady
The NH Lottery reported more than 81% of Super Bowl wagers were placed on Tampa Bay. Presumably, that percentage accounts for both moneyline and spread bets placed on the Buccaneers.
On DraftKings, the last line before kickoff had Tampa Bay as a 3-point underdog at -110 odds. Meanwhile, a moneyline bet on the Bucs closed at +135. DraftKings Sportsbook operates both online in New Hampshire and at two retail locations.
Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the NH Lottery, offered an explanation as to why sports bettors appeared so bullish on Tampa Bay.
“Sports fans across New England know you cannot bet against Tom Brady,” McIntyre said.
Brady led New England to nine Super Bowl appearances during his 20-year tenure behind center for the Patriots, winning six. Following last season, Brady and the Pats parted ways. The future Hall of Famer then signed a contract with Tampa Bay for about $30 million a year.
McIntyre suggested it was a “little bittersweet” for New England fans to see Brady win a seventh title while wearing a different uniform. Still, he applauded bettors for “remaining loyal to the GOAT and for winning big in this year’s Super Bowl.”
Bettors reportedly scored significant wins betting player props as well. In particular, they won bets on Brady to win Super Bowl MVP (he did), on former Patriot Rob Gronkowski to score a touchdown (he scored two), and on Gronkowski to score the game’s first TD (he did).
Increased revenue during football season for DraftKings, NH
That $7.1 million handle represented a large increase over the $2.3 million wagered on the previous Super Bowl in New Hampshire.
Last year, the Granite State had sports betting up and running in the state for about six weeks when Kansas City defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
Despite Sunday’s hit to their bottom lines, both DraftKings and New Hampshire saw sports betting revenue in the state increase significantly during football season.
As noted, New Hampshire is a single-operator state when it comes to sports betting, having struck an agreement with Boston-based DraftKings, which provides the state with 51% of all revenue collected.
During July 2020 and August 2020, the NH Lottery reported the state received just over $600,000 in sports betting revenue (online and retail combined). However, in September, that figure jumped to just under $1 million. The total then exceeded $2 million for each of the last three months of the year.
