Why is the Super Bowl in Las Vegas? NFL's history of gambling concerns erased as Sin City joins rotation

Kyle Irving

Why is the Super Bowl in Las Vegas? NFL's history of gambling concerns erased as Sin City joins rotation image

Super Bowl 58 is headed to Las Vegas.

The matchup between the Chiefs and 49ers is set to take place at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., roughly three miles away from the Strip.

For ages, the NFL tried to avoid any overlap between the Super Bowl and Las Vegas, but with the recent progress made with sports betting across the United States, the league has finally given in.

Why is the Super Bowl in Las Vegas? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.

MORE: Expert model projects 49ers will beat Chiefs in Super Bowl 58

How many times has the Super Bowl been in Las Vegas?

For the first time in NFL history, the Super Bowl will be played in Las Vegas in 2024.

The NFL has long avoided the Sin City as a destination to keep gambling separate from football. With sports betting now legal in 38 out of the 50 United States, the NFL has partnered with several sportsbooks like MGM, Caesars, FanDuel and DraftKings, to name a few.

The combination of those facts has led to the inevitable, as one of the biggest annual sporting events heads to one of the most popular destinations in the country.

The NFL is still doing its best to keep the two participating teams away from all the gambling action, though.

"The rules are no different for the participating teams' players and other personnel as they would be for any other game: when on business, there is no gambling, whether it be sports gambling or otherwise," Jeff Miller, the NFL executive VP of communications, public affairs and policy, told reporters ahead of the big game.

"Any player, coach, personnel, yours truly, who would be caught or identified gambling at a casino would be eligible for the disciplinary process, and that would be addressed in the normal course of discipline as we would any player or other personnel who there was evidence that was violating the rules around gambling."

To help avoid any potential distractions, both teams are staying 25 miles away from the Las Vegas Strip.

How are Super Bowl sites chosen?

The NFL has changed the way it selects the site for each Super Bowl. There used to be a process where cities would make a bid to host the big game and the league would narrow down the hopefuls to a couple of finalists. Then, those finalists would submit an official proposal.

Now, the NFL contacts select venues and requests they put together a proposal for the Super Bowl to be played at their stadium. Once the proposals are collected, the owners collectively vote on the best location offered.

MORE: Cheapest and most expensive Super Bowl tickets for Chiefs-49ers

There are a few conditions the NFL has required for a location to be deemed eligible to host the Super Bowl. Here are some examples:

  • A market that hosts an NFL team
  • Minimum 70,000 seating capacity
  • Average gameday temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Dome (for stadiums that don't meet the prior requirement)
  • Practice space of equal and comparable quality for both teams
  • Hotel spaces equaling 35 percent of the stadium's capacity
  • Space for the Gameday Experience, NFL Experience

Previous Super Bowl locations, results

Super BowlDateWinnerScoreLoserLocation
11/15/1967Green Bay Packers35-10Kansas City ChiefsLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles)
21/14/1968Green Bay Packers33-14Oakland RaidersMiami Orange Bowl (Miami, Fla.)
31/12/1969New York Jets16-7Baltimore ColtsMiami Orange Bowl (Miami, Fla.)
41/11/1970Kansas City Chiefs23-7Minnesota VikingsTulane Stadium (New Orleans, La.)
51/17/1971Baltimore Colts16-13Dallas CowboysMiami Orange Bowl (Miami, Fla.)
61/16/1972Dallas Cowboys24-3Miami DolphinsTulane Stadium (New Orleans, La.)
71/14/1973Miami Dolphins14-7Washington RedskinsLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles)
81/13/1974Miami Dolphins24-7Minnesota VikingsRice Stadium (Houston, Texas)
91/12/1975Pittsburgh Steelers16-6Minnesota VikingsTulane Stadium (New Orleans, La.)
101/18/1976Pittsburgh Steelers21-17Dallas CowboysMiami Orange Bowl (Miami, Fla.)
111/9/1977Oakland Raiders32-14Minnesota VikingsRose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
121/15/1978Dallas Cowboys27-10Denver BroncosLouisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
131/21/1979Pittsburgh Steelers35-31Dallas CowboysMiami Orange Bowl (Miami, Fla.)
141/20/1980Pittsburgh Steelers31-19Los Angeles RamsRose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
151/25/1981Oakland Raiders27-10Philadelphia EaglesLouisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
161/24/1982San Francisco 49ers26-21Cincinnati BengalsPontiac Silverdome (Pontiac, Mich.)
171/30/1983Washington Redskins21-17Miami DolphinsRose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
181/22/1984Los Angeles Raiders38-9Washington RedskinsTampa Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
191/20/1985San Francisco 49ers38-16Miami DolphinsStanford Stadium (Stanford, Calif.)
201/26/1986Chicago Bears46-10New England PatriotsLouisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
211/25/1987New York Giants39-20Denver BroncosRose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
221/31/1988Washington Redskins42-10Denver BroncosSan Diego-Jack Murphy Stadium (San Diego, Calif.)
231/22/1989San Francisco 49ers20-16Cincinnati BengalsJoe Robbie Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
241/28/1990Sans Francisco 49ers55-10Denver BroncosLouisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
251/27/1991New York Giants20-19Buffalo BillsTampa Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
261/26/1992Washington Redskins37-24Buffalo BillsMetrodome (Minneapolis)
271/31/1993Dallas Cowboys52-17Buffalo BillsRose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
281/30/1994Dallas Cowboys30-13Buffalo BillsGeorgia Dome (Atlanta)
291/29/1995San Francisco 49ers49-26San Diego ChargersJoe Robbie Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
301/28/1996Dallas Cowboys27-17Pittsburgh SteelersSun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Ariz.)
311/26/1997Green Bay Packers35-21New England PatriotsLouisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
321/25/1998Denver Broncos31-24Green Bay PackersQualcomm Stadium (San Diego, CA)
331/31/1999Denver Broncos34-19Atlanta FalconsPro Player Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
341/30/2000St. Louis Rams23-16Tennessee TitansGeorgia Dome (Atlanta)
351/28/2001Baltimore Ravens34-7New York GiantsRaymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
362/3/2002New England Patriots20-17St. Louis RamsLouisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
371/26/2003Tampa Bay Buccaneers48-21Oakland RaidersQualcomm Stadium (San Diego, Calif.)
382/1/2004New England Patriots32-29Carolina PanthersReliant Stadium (Houston)
392/6/2005New England Patriots24-21Philadelphia EaglesAlltel Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
402/5/2006Pittsburgh Steelers21-10Seattle SeahawksFord Field (Detroit)
412/4/2007Indianapolis Colts29-17Chicago BearsDolphin Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
422/3/2008New York Giants17-14New England PatriotsUniversity of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
432/1/2009Pittsburgh Steelers27-23Arizona CardinalsRaymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
442/7/2010New Orleans Saints31-17Indianapolis ColtsSun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
452/6/2011Green Bay Packers31-25Pittsburgh SteelersCowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
462/5/2012New York Giants21-17New England PatriotsLucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
472/3/2013Baltimore Ravens34-31San Francisco 49ersMercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
482/2/2014Seattle Seahawks43-8Denver BroncosMetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
492/1/2015New England Patriots28-24Seattle SeahawksUniversity of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
502/7/2016Denver Broncos24-10Carolina PanthersLevi's Stadium (San Francisco, Calif.)
512/5/2017New England Patriots34-28Atlanta FalconsNRG Stadium (Houston)
522/4/2018Philadelphia Eagles41-33New England PatriotsU.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis)
532/3/2019New England Patriots13-3Los Angeles RamsMercedes-Benz Stadium (New Orleans, La.)
542/2/2020Kansas City Chiefs31-20San Francisco 49ersMiami Gardens, (Miami, Fla.)
552/7/2021Tampa Bay Buccaneers31-9Kansas City ChiefsRaymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
562/13/2022Los Angeles Rams23-20Cincinnati BengalsSoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
572/12/2023Kansas City Chiefs38-35Philadelphia EaglesState Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)

Kyle Irving

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.