Las Vegas tourism officials say the economic impact of Super Bowl 58 may be better than expected.
The NFL championship event held Sunday at Allegiant Stadium was estimated to bring in at least $500 million in spending, a figure that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said could be lower than what future economic impact reports, expected in the coming weeks, will show.
Before Super Bowl weekend, analysts predicted around 330,000 people would visit Las Vegas for the big game and its festivities. But now, that number could reach as high as 450,000, officials say. And spending over the long Super Bowl weekend could reach as high as $1.1 billion.
Staff told the LVCVA Board of Directors that there were 300 events in the days leading up to and on Sunday, such as property-specific watch parties and NFL-sanctioned events.
Hill said the marketing value of hosting the game was immeasurable.
But some other measurements that indicate the event’s strength are already in. Nevada sportsbooks took in a historic amount wagered, $185.6 million in bets. And TV viewership was also record-breaking: The game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs had an average audience of 123.4 million viewers, according to CBS Sports. More than 202 million viewers watched at least some of the game.
Visitors in town for the Grand Prix — another major first for the region — spent about $561 million among about 145,000 visitors, according to preliminary impact reports.
Hill said he wasn’t able to say whether the Super Bowl or the F1 race had the biggest economic impact. He said F1 was more challenging because the venue was the county’s streets, but he declined to speculate on other comparisons.