By Steve Keating
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Businesses across the United States are bracing for an outbreak of the Super flu next Monday when over 16 million Americans are expected to phone in sick after watching the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs play for the Lombardi trophy.
A survey from UKG, a provider of human resources, payroll, and workforce management solutions, estimated that 16.1 million U.S. employees plan to miss work the day after the Feb. 11 Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
The survey also found that 22.5 million U.S. employees, or 14% of the work force, expect they will miss at least some work on Monday while 45 million say they’ll be less productive than usual.
"The Monday after Super Bowl has become the number one day in absenteeism or people taking a vacation day," Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of several Las Vegas casinos including Circa, told Reuters. "It has become so significant.
"From a Vegas gaming perspective Super Bowl Monday after has now become a top 10 day out of 365 days a year for gambling."
A record 67.8 million American adults are expected to bet $23.1 billion on the Super Bowl, the American Gaming Association said.
"A lot has to do with Super Bowl in Vegas is sold out every year," said Stevens. "Not everyone can fit onto an airplane on Monday so as opposed to trying to fight traffic and try to get a very expensive flight out of town on Monday they leave on Tuesday.
"What it's done is it has created this event like the Sunday night after the game is over. It's crazy.
"People are betting like crazy, because either you won a lot of money so you want to bet more or lost a lot of money and trying to get it back.
"Monday people are hanging around all day then they hit the bricks on Tuesday."