Super Bowl betting: 10 observations from the sports books

As of midweek, South Point hadn’t finished populating its Super Bowl 52 prop board and was enforcing a strict $1,000 limit. Yet, the property still was approaching a half-million dollars in handle on the props alone, and thatwas with five days that traditionally account for 90 percent of the action to spare.

“That just shows the amount of interest already and the rush is still to come, so buckle up,” South Point’s Jimmy Vaccaro said. “We will blast past the $138 million. That’s easy for me to say.”

Vaccaro is referring to the total state handle on last year’s Super Bowl, which set a record with $138.48 million wagered throughout Nevada’s 196 sports books. It was the fourth time in the past five years that gamblers set a new high.

For perhaps the first time, it’s no longer a debate whether the record will fall. Sports betting continues to increase, and oddsmakers could tell from the moment that the Philadelphia Eagles secured their spot in Minneapolis alongside the New England Patriots 12 days ago that this year’s volume would reach record heights.

“This is a really great matchup, and we’re getting outstanding action already,” said Chuck Esposito, Sunset Station sports book director. “You’re going to see another record.”

The total handle is an annual conversation point at sports books heading into