The Super Bowl brought $1.25B to Louisiana
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
/2025/06/03/1748969060129.gif)
Super Bowl LIX was one of the most lucrative Super Bowls of all time, according to a new economic impact study from LSU.
Why it matters: City and state officials rolled out the red carpet for the NFL with big promises in return for the region. Now, they appear armed with the data to back up what they're categorizing as a huge victory.
By the numbers: February's Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, according to the data, brought:
- $1.25 billion in overall economic impact.
- $658 million in total spending by visitors and vendors.
- 100,000 out-of-state visitors across 45 states and nine countries.
- $82 million in state and local tax revenue.
- 128 million TV viewers.
- More than 4,000 visitors to the Louisiana NOW Pavilion, which the state used to court business leaders.
Zoom in: The impact data also includes survey details on how visitors and locals spent their money.
- On average, visitors spent more than twice their budgets on gambling versus meals. Explore the data.
What they're saying: "This was not just about having an outstanding game. ... It was an audition, absolutely, for the next Super Bowl ... the next convention ... the next tourist ... the next economic development prospect," said GNO Inc. CEO Michael Hecht, whom Gov. Jeff Landry had tapped to lead organization efforts ahead of the game.
- "The pressure was not just to have a great week and a great Sunday. There was a lot of future value that was going to come to us if we pulled it off as we needed to and as we did."
Between the lines: Not every business owner ended Super Bowl week cashing checks. Some complained in the days following the NFL's exit that the windfall didn't arrive quite like some restaurants, bars and other venues expected.
- Hecht said he did have some sympathy for that experience, and his team learned about the value of "responsiveness" in addressing business owner concerns during the lead-up to the game.
What's next: Leaders seemed optimistic that the NFL will be back.
- "We're not focusing on any particular year," said Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation CEO Jay Cicero. "But having a great Super Bowl here is our best sales effort for the next one."