Super Bowl 50: MVP Von Miller 'crushes' sportsbooks

For the first time, Nevada sportsbooks this year were allowed to take bets on who would win Super Bowl MVP.

"Be careful what you ask for," Jay Rood, vice president of Race and Sports for MGM Resorts International, told SportsLine on Sunday night.

Von Miller taking home the trophy "crushed" MGM sportsbooks, Rood said. Miller opened at 60/1 odds at MGM, closing at 15/1 after heavy action. He became only the ninth defensive player to win the award.

"Everyone jumped all over Von Miller -- we got crushed on that," Rood said.

The fourth quarter also left bookmakers with a sour taste. They were rooting for the Panthers, down 16-10, to mount a touchdown drive and win 17-16. That would have made every Panthers spread bettor a loser, as well as Denver money line players.

Instead, Denver money line players cashed sweet payouts in the +190 neighborhood.

"Broncos money just came in all day Saturday and Sunday, especially on the money line," Rood said.

Still, other books reported moderate wins on the Super Bowl.

"A Panthers win by 1, 2 or 3 would have been the best result, but we were definitely happy with the Under," said Jason Simbal, vice president of Race and Sports at CG Technology. The closing total at most books was 43.5.

The 24-10 Denver win was basically a wash for CG Technology, with losing Carolina spread action and Over bets offset by Denver money line plays. Props and futures accounted for most of the revenue, Simbal said.

Miller also closed at 15/1 to win MVP at CG Technology, which runs sportsbooks at nine casinos, including the Venetian, M Resort, Palms and Cosmopolitan.

"That was not good for us," Simbal said.

BookMaker Sportsbook spokesman Scott Cooley called it "a good night for our shop."

"Even with the influx of underdog money over the last 48 hours, we didn't even out as much as other books as far as action because most of our heavy stuff came early on Carolina, so we were pulling for the Broncos all the way," Cooley said.

"It was certainly a profitable day, but had Denver covered and not won, it would've been even better."

The Nevada Gaming Commission will release official numbers Monday.

Nevada sportsbooks won a paltry $3.2 million last year as books got hurt by Patriots-and-Over parlays. Still, it marked the 24th time they've profited in the last 26 Super Bowls. The figures include Super Bowl futures and props.

Simbal expects a somewhat higher statewide profit this year.

Last year, Nevada books took $115.9 million in Super Bowl bets.