Super Bowl 2024 ticket prices are absolutely bonkers
Prices to the Super Bowl are soaring beyond any reasonable person’s wildest fantasies, as scalpers pump up prices close to the average Aussie’s yearly salary.
The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are hours away from a blockbuster Super Bowl showdown as Las Vegas stages the American sporting showpiece for the first time.
The neon-lit gambling capital in the Nevada desert has reached a fever pitch of anticipation for the NFL championship game that has topped even the usual outsized levels of hype.
But fans have had to shell out astronomical amounts to secure a seat at Allegiant Stadium, which has a capacity of just 65,000 seats.
The cheapest seats available on resale ticketing website Stubhub on Sunday came with a hefty $5,713 (A$8,750) price tag; with the most expensive listed at a staggering $196,875 ($302,000).
Resellers have been asking up to $45,000 (A$69,000) for a basic ticket on TicketMaster as of late Wednesday afternoon.
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Those wanting prime accommodation close to the action have been forced to shell out over $1.8 million (A$2.76m) for 20-room suites in the city. The price includes the cost of tickets as well as food and alcoholic beverages.
Eight-seat accommodation plus tickets and amenities packages went for for $330,000 (A$506,000), while a four-seater could be bought for $150,000 (A$230,000).
The American Gaming Association, meanwhile, projects that a record 67.8 million Americans -- around a quarter of the country’s adult population -- will place a bet on the Super Bowl, generating an estimated $23.1 billion (A$35.2b).
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) say a fleet of around 500 private jets have swept into Las Vegas for the game, which kicks off at 3.30pm local time (10.30 AEDT).
The galaxy of VIPS are part of an invasion of more than 300,000 visitors who have descended on the city for the Super Bowl weekend, pumping an estimated $1 billion into the local economy, according to city officials.
The horde of tourists have flocked to nightclubs and celebrity-hosted parties and eve-of-game concerts featuring stars such as U2, Adele, Christina Aguilera and Green Day.
Insiders at the Allegiant Stadium told TMZ that Travis Kelce shelled out over $1 million for a suite for his and Taylor Swift’s family to watch the match.
Earlier this week, Travis, 34, joked about how much money he was spending for the Super Bowl.
“I’m not really doing much different other than just counting how much money I’m spending on this damn Super Bowl for family and friends to come,” he told his brother, Jason, in Thursday’s episode of their podcast.
“Just making sure I’m on top of those finances and losing all this money,” the athlete, who is reportedly worth $30 million, quipped.
This year’s Super Bowl has taken on political overtones due to Swift’s relationship with Kelce, with right-wing conspiracy theorists seeing it as evidence of a plot to influence the outcome of this year’s US Presidential election if the singer endorses Joe Biden.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, took aim at the singer on Sunday, claiming any endorsement of Biden by Swift would be “disloyal” given that his administration passed copyright legislation in 2018 widely seen as benefiting artists and performers.
“Joe Biden didn’t do anything for Taylor, and never will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There’s no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money.
“Besides that, I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can’t stand me!”