Boston Herald
Friday, January 30, 2004
While Patriots fever has gripped the region, bookies still reeling from the 2001 Super Bowl win and this year's 14-game win streak are praying for a Pats loss Sunday to prevent financial ruin.
"It's a bookmaker's nightmare," one South Shore bookie said of the Pats' unfathomable run. "Some guys finally recovered from the 2001 Super Bowl victory and now they're getting massacred even worse."
The Pats' upset of the St. Louis Rams two years ago sent some locals into early retirement, but some say this season's streak is even more catastrophic. And a Patriot stomping in Sunday's clash with the Carolina Panthers just may spell doom for many Hub wiseguys.
"One of my customers beat us for 200-grand by riding the Pats all year," the bookie said. "They have to lose this game."
The Las Vegas line has the Patriots as a 6 1/2-point favorite to win the Super Bowl, but insiders expect that to change by kickoff. The point spread in the Boston area could wind up as high as 7 1/2-points, says gambling expert I.M. Bettor.
"It's pretty much an unprecedented run. These guys are getting hit bad," said Bettor, a freelance Boston Herald columnist whose real name is being withheld. "If the Patriots get beat outright, they can pretty much salvage what's been a miserable year."
Bettor said Pats-crazed fans who don't normally gamble have hopped on the "gravy train," calling pals to phone in bets for them. The line here won't be set until noon Sunday and most locals aren't taking any early action. Many are also setting betting limits.
"This has been a bad year," Bettor said.
State police Sgt. Michael Scanlon of the agency's special services bureau said the red-hot Pats have some bookies panicking.
"They seem to be hurting because everyone in the Boston area is betting the Pats and they keep winning and there's no end in sight," Scanlon said. "To win 14 games in a row, that's unbelievable. We have loyal fans here."
A Pats win would result in the demise of some "small-time bookmakers," but "the big ones will survive," Scanlon said.
To stem mounting losses, many bookies will send big bets to off-shore gambling houses, some of which are run in island nations by local gangsters run out of town by rivals or cops, Scanlon said.
Police generally make few gambling busts on Super Bowl Sunday. But, Scanlon said, heavy betting on the Big Game often leads to new investigations.
Jay Kornegay, sportsbook director for Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, said action has been split this week between the Panthers and the Patriots, which has kept the line steady.
Last year, $71 million was bet on the Super Bowl in Nevada, the only state where sports betting is legal.
Kornegay predicted $68 million to $70 million will be wagered on this year's clash, but pointed out that legal bets account for "only 1 percent" of Super Bowl betting.
For local gambling rings, a win Sunday by the Pats would eclipse 1986 when frenzied hoop fans decimated Hub bookmakers by riding the championship Celtics to the bank.
"They've been riding this streak all year," the South Shore bookmaker said, noting some "offices" stand to lose up to $300,000 Sunday. "The average Pats customer is doubling and tripling their bets because they're awash in cash. They've been unstoppable."LINK
Friday, January 30, 2004
While Patriots fever has gripped the region, bookies still reeling from the 2001 Super Bowl win and this year's 14-game win streak are praying for a Pats loss Sunday to prevent financial ruin.
"It's a bookmaker's nightmare," one South Shore bookie said of the Pats' unfathomable run. "Some guys finally recovered from the 2001 Super Bowl victory and now they're getting massacred even worse."
The Pats' upset of the St. Louis Rams two years ago sent some locals into early retirement, but some say this season's streak is even more catastrophic. And a Patriot stomping in Sunday's clash with the Carolina Panthers just may spell doom for many Hub wiseguys.
"One of my customers beat us for 200-grand by riding the Pats all year," the bookie said. "They have to lose this game."
The Las Vegas line has the Patriots as a 6 1/2-point favorite to win the Super Bowl, but insiders expect that to change by kickoff. The point spread in the Boston area could wind up as high as 7 1/2-points, says gambling expert I.M. Bettor.
"It's pretty much an unprecedented run. These guys are getting hit bad," said Bettor, a freelance Boston Herald columnist whose real name is being withheld. "If the Patriots get beat outright, they can pretty much salvage what's been a miserable year."
Bettor said Pats-crazed fans who don't normally gamble have hopped on the "gravy train," calling pals to phone in bets for them. The line here won't be set until noon Sunday and most locals aren't taking any early action. Many are also setting betting limits.
"This has been a bad year," Bettor said.
State police Sgt. Michael Scanlon of the agency's special services bureau said the red-hot Pats have some bookies panicking.
"They seem to be hurting because everyone in the Boston area is betting the Pats and they keep winning and there's no end in sight," Scanlon said. "To win 14 games in a row, that's unbelievable. We have loyal fans here."
A Pats win would result in the demise of some "small-time bookmakers," but "the big ones will survive," Scanlon said.
To stem mounting losses, many bookies will send big bets to off-shore gambling houses, some of which are run in island nations by local gangsters run out of town by rivals or cops, Scanlon said.
Police generally make few gambling busts on Super Bowl Sunday. But, Scanlon said, heavy betting on the Big Game often leads to new investigations.
Jay Kornegay, sportsbook director for Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, said action has been split this week between the Panthers and the Patriots, which has kept the line steady.
Last year, $71 million was bet on the Super Bowl in Nevada, the only state where sports betting is legal.
Kornegay predicted $68 million to $70 million will be wagered on this year's clash, but pointed out that legal bets account for "only 1 percent" of Super Bowl betting.
For local gambling rings, a win Sunday by the Pats would eclipse 1986 when frenzied hoop fans decimated Hub bookmakers by riding the championship Celtics to the bank.
"They've been riding this streak all year," the South Shore bookmaker said, noting some "offices" stand to lose up to $300,000 Sunday. "The average Pats customer is doubling and tripling their bets because they're awash in cash. They've been unstoppable."LINK
