Las Vegas became the 16th city to host the NFL’s spotlight event in February when Super Bowl 58 was played at Allegiant Stadium. As one of the nation’s few shared cultural events, the Super Bowl draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and hundreds of millions of TV viewers. This year that spotlight fell on Las Vegas, highlighting the city’s evolution into a premier sports destination.
The week leading up to the Super Bowl offered 300 events, ranging from NFL-sponsored events to watch parties. The festivities commenced with opening night, an open-to-the-public media day where 24,000 fans watched their favorite players from the two teams answer questions. The NFL's Super Bowl Experience provided visitors with an opportunity to engage in interactive games, such as passing challenges and the 40-yard dash, and the opportunity to meet current and former players. Throughout the week, attendees were treated to an abundance of live music performances and gourmet cuisine from celebrity chefs, all centered around the Super Bowl.
An estimated 330,000 visitors were expected in Southern Nevada during Super Bowl weekend for the festivities and activities, including 62,000 fans who attended the game. The influx of visitors for the game was evident in the number of travelers at Harry Reid International Airport the Monday after the game, when the Transportation Security Administration screened an all-time single-day record of nearly 104,000 passengers.
The unparalleled visibility afforded by Super Bowl 58 underscored Las Vegas's status as a global destination. With a record-breaking average of 123.4 million viewers tuning in, the Super Bowl captivated audiences both domestically and abroad. In markets such as Mexico and China, viewership is rising, giving Las Vegas a bigger reach to potential visitors. Additionally, the event generated 5 billion impressions through 14,000 news stories.
Beyond its entertainment extravaganza, the Super Bowl gave Las Vegas the opportunity to showcase itself as more than a tourism hub. Initiatives spearheaded by organizations such as the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) leveraged the event as a platform for attracting businesses. LOCATE Las Vegas, an LVGEA initiative supported by several local corporations, hosted 16 top executives to highlight the region as a destination for corporate relocation and development.
In addition to the weeklong media spotlight that comes with the Super Bowl, the event generates significant economic impacts for the host city. Pre-event projections suggested the event would leave a net impact of $799 million, a figure that encompasses $515 million in spending by visitors plus the ripple effects of that spending across the economy. The spending impacts were projected to produce $62 million in state and local taxes. While final impact projections are still pending as data becomes available, preliminary findings indicate that the economic impact of Super Bowl 58 exceeded expectations.
Although future gaming data releases and official tourism metrics will provide a more complete picture, early results suggest the Super Bowl was a winner for casinos. Nevada sportsbooks saw a record-breaking handle, with $185.6 million bet on the game.
Hosting the Super Bowl was a multifaceted endeavor that extended far beyond the confines of Allegiant Stadium. As only the 16th city to host the game, Las Vegas met stringent requirements, including ample hotel accommodations, two practice facilities of comparable quality and provisions for NFL personnel. In meeting the league’s high standards, Las Vegas cemented its status as a premier host city for major sporting events.
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