The Eagles win meant the books took a hit. NFL/Facebook
The build-up to NFL finale, mysteriously, featured vast amounts of gamblers backing the Eagles to pull off the upset. While the line opened in the 5.5 point range, It progressively dropped throughout the week showing just how much people believed Brady, would be denied his sixth ring.
"Let it ride."
The all in bettor struck again! How can a single individual impact the spread in the biggest gambling event of the year? Three million was his initial wager at MGM Resorts, and that was the maximum amount that individual book wanted to take in action from the serendipitous European. He would take the rest of his action elsewhere and spread the rest of his bets as follows:
Two separate $1 million bets with William Hill.
$700,000 wager South Point.
$700,000 wager CGT Technology.
Unknown at the Wynn.
(add the original $3 million at MGM)
The exact numbers he was getting on the money line are unspecified but are said to be in the +150 to +170 range. The all in bettor was steadily given bad odds, but still took the numbers and hammered the books. After it was all said and done, he profited over $10 million, once again giving gamblers a tale to narrate for ages.
From the Cashier's Window
With the exception of 2015, the handle sportsbooks take in for the big game has grown every year.
2013 Bal/SF $98.9 Million
2014 Den/Sea $119.4 Million
2016 Den/Car $132.5 Million
2017 NE/Atl $138.5 Million
2018 NE/Phi $158.6 Million
As you can see, the jump in handle from last year to this season was over $20 million. A massive spurt, similar to the one witnessed in the 2014 Superbowl. So $158.6 million is notably the record for cash taken in, but how much was profited in a contest in which the underdog and the over cashed? That's usually a recipe for a Sunday Bloody Sunday for the books
The guys behind the glass profited $1.17 Million in this year's big game. This is the lowest figure of gain for books in 10 years. Much has to do with large money line bets on Philadelphia tacked on to the over cashing easily. Where some books were able to get money back was on the prop bets and Patriot futures which served as some sort of redemption. Sportsbooks have now profited in 26 of the last 28 Superbowls. The two losses coming in 1995 and 2008.
With such a big handle this year the books were hoping to profit more than 0.7%. Even in the 2011 matchup between the Packers and Steelers, books only handled $87.4 million total but profited $724,176, good for a gain of 0.8%. The record for profits happened when the Seahawks routed the Broncos in 2014, the total win was $19.6 million, and a hold of 16.5%.
Overall, the books made the smallest of profits, but they will take it considering the number of bets that were on the Eagles. Futures, Props, and in-game Patriot backers saves would have been an unpropitious day.
ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL 53
New England Patriots +500
Philadelphia Eagles +700
Green Bay Packers +800
Pittsburgh Steelers +1000
Minnesota Vikings +1200
Los Angeles Rams +1750
San Francisco 49ers +1800
Houston Texans +1850
New Orleans Saints +1850
Jacksonville Jaguars +2000
Atlanta Falcons +2000
Dallas Cowboys +2000
Oakland Raiders +2100
Carolina Panthers +2500
Seattle Seahawks +2500
Kansas City Chiefs +3000
Los Angeles Chargers +3000
Denver Broncos +3500
Indianapolis Colts +4000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +4000
Baltimore Ravens +5000
Arizona Cardinals +5000
Tennessee Titans +5000
Detroit Lions +5000
New York Giants +5500
Miami Dolphins +7000
Washington Redskins +7000
New York Jets +10000
Chicago Bears +10000
Cincinnati Bengals +10000
Buffalo Bills +10000
Cleveland Browns +10000
Any questions or comments follow me on twitter @JerryBoknowz
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.