By TODD DEWEY
LAS VEGAS ***************
A bettor using his phone app made a $1.1 million wager on the Falcons plus 3 points Friday at CG Technology, and a string of six-figure bets were placed on the Patriots at Wynn Las Vegas on Saturday as a wave of big money poured into Las Vegas sports books in advance of Super Sunday.
“I’ve seen more six-figure bets before the Sunday of the game than in previous years,” Wynn sports book director Johnny Avello said. “(Saturday) there were quite a few, and Friday there were some. Even over the past 10 days. I’d say 70 percent of them are on the Pats.”
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Avello said he’s taken wagers of $300,000 and $200,000 on New England and “a lot” of $100,000 bets and said the action for Super Bowl LI is comparable to last year’s title game, which produced a record Nevada betting handle of $132.5 million.
“Last year was a record year, and this year feels a lot like it,” he said. “If the first 13 days of action are any indication of what (Sunday) will bring, it’s very possible we’ll see another record broken.”
CG Technology sports book director Jason Simbal said his handle is ahead of last year’s pace. To help offset the $1.1 million bet on the Falcons, he’s also taken a $200,000 wager on the Patriots, who accounted for 60 percent of the action Saturday.
“We took a lot of big bets on the Falcons the last couple days, but (Saturday) was mostly New England,” he said. “It’s still pretty even, but because of those huge Falcons bets, we actually need the Pats right now. I think that’s going to change, but as of right now, the Falcons winning outright and over would be the worst for us.”
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