$11 billion worldwide lost on Super Bowl over past 20 years

Your nation’s economy in the toilet? Can’t afford to get your kids the Hasbro G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip? (Random Trading Places reference!). Blame the Super Bowl. According to R.J. Bell of Pregame.com, players have lost $114 million on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas over the past 20 years. But that accounts for only 1 percent of all the Super Bowl action worldwide, where $11 billion has been lost on the game over that span.

Other fun facts:

• Vegas has won money on 18 of the past 20 Super Bowls — the exceptions being 2008 (Giants vs. Patriots) and 1995 (49ers vs. Chargers).

• More than half of adult Americans are expected to have some money at risk on Super Bowl XLV.

• Super Bowl XLV is expected to be the biggest bet Super Bowl EVER, with over $10 Billion riding on the game worldwide. This would be the largest bet single-day sporting event in history.

And then there’s this: Vegas has never been wrong in predicting a Steelers outcome at the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh has been favored in six Super Bowls, and has won all six. The Steelers lost the only SB in which they were the underdog, to Dallas in 1996. Overall, the Vegas favorite has won 32 of 44 Super Bowls (73 pecent).

Oh, currently Vegas has the Packers as 3-point favorites.