Super Bowl in Las Vegas Could Have $1 Billion Economic Impact

While there is a wide range of reported economic impacts for historical Super Bowls hosting outside of Las Vegas and other special events held in Las Vegas, the impact of a Super Bowl and associated activities in Southern Nevada could approach $1.0 billion. The following highlights the range of reported Super Bowls.

Publicly Reported Estimates of Super Bowls

It is important to note that estimates vary based on methodology (e.g., gross vs. net impacts), assumptions and other factors. In addition to supporting events and activities taking place in destinations where recent Super Bowls were held, Las Vegas also has a history of generating significant economic impacts during Super Bowl weekend – when the Super Bowl event is hosted in another city. For example, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority recently reported the economic impact sourced to visitor spending during the Super Bowl weekend in 2019 is estimated to be $426 million based on 306,000 travelers to the area.[5]

The requirements of the NFL generally include several weeks of planning and on-site work efforts to prepare a city to host the big game. This “load in” activity translates into thousands of workers and media in the weeks leading up to the event. During Super Bowl week itself, the activity generally intensifies and the volume of out-of-town visitors rises, including representatives from the league, participating teams, media and sponsors. It is also worth noting that the economic impact of other large-scale events in Las Vegas has reached up to the $300-million-range on any given weekend.[6] Finally, it is worth noting that Las Vegas is home to nearly 150,000 hotel rooms,[7] more than any other major market in the United States.

Based on the estimated impacts of other Super Bowls in other markets, known impacts in Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekends and the impacts sourced to other special events, we believe a Super Bowl hosted in Las Vegas could have an economic impact approaching $1.0 billion.

[1] See https://www.azcommerce.com/news-events/news/super-bowl-xlix-and-related-events-generate-an-economic-impact-of-7194-million-according-to-study-completed-by-arizona-state-university/. The event also included the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl.

[2] See https://www.vikings.com/news/super-bowl-lii-generates-450-million-for-local-economy-20691064.

[3] See http://www.housuperbowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SB-LI-Economic-Impact.pdf.

[4] See https://chiefexecutive.net/super-bowl-50-produces-350m-economic-impact/.

[5] See https://www.apnews.com/5384b2c50ca940d49dc03d87c2547959.

[6] See http://sportingeventcommittee.com/meetings/2018/10/10/LVE%20Event%20Economic%20Impact%20-%20FINAL.pdf and http://sportingeventcommittee.com/meetings/2018/09/12/Akosa%20Akpom.pdf as an examples.

[7] See https://assets.simpleviewcms.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/lasvegas/Historical_1970_to_2018_4100bf49-5aba-4686-81bc-49cf15a2b411.pdf.