LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The teams are set, the game is scheduled, and the total tab to see the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas is stacking up to be the most expensive in NFL history.
That’s according to Seat Geek, which told CBS News the average ticket price is currently the highest they’ve ever been. An analysis by Newsweek also reveals the additional costs those traveling from outside the Las Vegas valley will need to tag on.
Most of the money spent by spectators will likely be what makes them spectators, the game day ticket. Seat Geek says the average price of one ticket was $12,082 as of Monday afternoon.
On Ticketmaster, the official ticketing partner of the NFL, the lowest price 8 News Now found Monday morning was $8,333 in section 325. After taxes and associated fees, a pair would cost a total of $20,168.81.
Some hotels along the strip are completely booked out, leaving remaining rooms in high demand. While several properties require at least a three-night stay to book, 8 News Now looked at properties that allowed a Saturday evening check-in with a Monday morning check-out (two nights) before taxes and fees.
The more affordable side of the scale set hotels like Circus, Circus at average rates of $312.50 a night as of Monday morning. The newest hotel, Fontainebleau, listed their cheapest room at $1,660 a night. Higher-end properties closer to the stadium, like the Aria, listed average rates of around $2,200 a night.
Most other properties that allow a two-night stay were listed from between $650 to $1,700 as their average nightly rates.
Newsweek analyzed the total cost for a visiting spectator before the championship teams were decided last week. While average hotel and game ticket prices have increased since then, a cross-section of round-trip flights from multiple major U.S. cities found an average price of $712.25 for airfare.
The news magazine also listed daily food spending at $100 per person, on top of the $27.96 beer and hot dog two spectators may purchase each inside the stadium. It did not include any gambling, tipping, drinking, or souvenirs tourists find synonymous with a Las Vegas vacation.
In total, one of the cheapest methods to attend one of the largest media events in the world will run a couple from outside Southern Nevada for around a quarter of $100,000 this year. Seat Geek acknowledged game ticket prices tend to decline closer to the event’s date.
After the final game day point, the Super Bowl is expected to leave behind an economic impact of around $600 million, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That impact stretches far beyond the Las Vegas Strip, according to UNLV Director of Business and Economic Research Stephen Miller.
“The market is working, and in fact, what’s happening is it’s affecting the Air BNBs as well,” Miller said inside his office, speaking of industries benefitting from the increased attention. “Uber is a market-driven price, so, depending on the demand, the price can go way up.”
He points to the large draw Super Bowl weekend already has in Southern Nevada without hosting responsibilities that typically stimulate the Clark County economy annually. More stimulation is expected this year, which Miller says may be seen in wages to the average resident.
“What’s taxed in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” Miller said. “You have people that are actually doing the jobs in the supply chain. They get paid, and if they live here in Vegas, then they spend money in Vegas.”
Super Bowl LVIII premieres on 8 News Now on February 11, where the cost to watch (besides cable and streaming service fees) is free.
