Snowy report prompts surge of bets
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A Sunday morning report from snowy Foxborough caused a flurry of bets in Las Vegas. The report aired around 10 a.m. ET on ESPN's "NFL Countdown" and featured a bundled-up Sal Paolantonio braving blizzard-like conditions at Gillette Stadium, where the New England Patriots would host the Denver Broncos later in the afternoon.
A screen shot of the blustery scene circulated on social media, and bettors pounced.
From 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the MGM sports book took enough action on the under to drop the total from 54 to 49.5. The Westgate SuperBook said it immediately took two limit bets on the under after the report aired. The Stratosphere, William Hill and CG Technology sports books also reported a surge of action on the under.
"The bet count just kept growing toward the under," Jason Simbal, vice president of CG Technology Race and Sports, said. "Totals are not something you want to be too exposed on, so when you end up in a spot like that where everything is coming in on one side, you have to move it pretty aggressively. It ended up moving a full four points. Then, the game starts and there's not even a snowflake on the ground. We were laughing about it."
The weather cleared hours before kickoff, and the total closed back around 53 at most shops. The Patriots, home underdogs for only the fourth time since 2003, rolled to a 43-21 win, easily eclipsing the total.
"There was still some wind, but it's hard to keep these two teams under," Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill director of trading, said. "There was plenty of sharp money on the under, for sure."
The showdown between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady generated the most handle of Sunday's games, but was evenly bet at several books. The ticket count was divided by less than 90 bets between the two teams at the MGM, which took limit bets on both the Broncos and Patriots.
Despite the loss, the Broncos remained the Super Bowl favorites at 7-2 at the SuperBook. The Patriots are second at 5-1.
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David Purdum, ESPN.com
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A Sunday morning report from snowy Foxborough caused a flurry of bets in Las Vegas. The report aired around 10 a.m. ET on ESPN's "NFL Countdown" and featured a bundled-up Sal Paolantonio braving blizzard-like conditions at Gillette Stadium, where the New England Patriots would host the Denver Broncos later in the afternoon.
A screen shot of the blustery scene circulated on social media, and bettors pounced.
From 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the MGM sports book took enough action on the under to drop the total from 54 to 49.5. The Westgate SuperBook said it immediately took two limit bets on the under after the report aired. The Stratosphere, William Hill and CG Technology sports books also reported a surge of action on the under.
"The bet count just kept growing toward the under," Jason Simbal, vice president of CG Technology Race and Sports, said. "Totals are not something you want to be too exposed on, so when you end up in a spot like that where everything is coming in on one side, you have to move it pretty aggressively. It ended up moving a full four points. Then, the game starts and there's not even a snowflake on the ground. We were laughing about it."
The weather cleared hours before kickoff, and the total closed back around 53 at most shops. The Patriots, home underdogs for only the fourth time since 2003, rolled to a 43-21 win, easily eclipsing the total.
"There was still some wind, but it's hard to keep these two teams under," Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill director of trading, said. "There was plenty of sharp money on the under, for sure."
The showdown between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady generated the most handle of Sunday's games, but was evenly bet at several books. The ticket count was divided by less than 90 bets between the two teams at the MGM, which took limit bets on both the Broncos and Patriots.
Despite the loss, the Broncos remained the Super Bowl favorites at 7-2 at the SuperBook. The Patriots are second at 5-1.
