Super Bowl costs come in lower than expected

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Super Bowl XLVI was great for the image of Indianapolis. But how much did it cost to get the image boost? For the first time since the big game, we have some indication.

Hosting a Super Bowl isn't cheap. The Capital Improvement Board, which runs the Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, figured it would spend about $8 million.

"The Capital Improvement Board has said - and we always budgeted - that this would not be something that we necessarily made money on," said Ann Lathrop, chairwoman of of the CIB.

In fact, the CIB figured it would lose about $800,000 on the event. But the first numbers show the CIB's loss is less than $350,000, about half a million less than projected.

• ONLINE EXTRA | See the breakdown of the CIB's costs and revenue

It turns out the CIB got some unexpected savings. The NFL handled and paid directly for the union labor used during Madonna's half-time show. Electricity use for Madonna's half time show set a new peak, but the cost was reimbursed by the NFL.

The NFL also brought in and paid for its own security team at Lucas Oil Stadium on game day, cutting back significantly on the cost to the CIB.

Trash collection ended up costing the CIB more money than it expected. There was savings, however, in not having to pay for snow removal, though the CIB did have to pay for snow removal equipment standing by just in case.

But the potential gains go far beyond the Super Bowl, Lathrop emphasized.

"We need to remember that when you can prove you can host an event, like the Super Bowl, that that allows you to compete at an entirely different level for other types of events. So it's not just about the single event," she said.

The NFL has already given the CIB its money, and the CIB said it was told it was among the smoothest Super Bowl reimbursement transactions ever.

But there are still two important pieces of the Super Bowl "cost to you" puzzle still missing: tax revenues from those who were in town during Super Bowl week, and the bill from the Indianapolis Department of Public Safety for security during the festivities. Those two numbers will reveal the real bottom line on how much was paid for the big Super Bowl party. The numbers are expected later this month.