[h=1]Biggest Super Bowl LI bets[/h]
- David PurdumESPN Staff Writer
More than $100 million will be wagered on Super Bowl LI this week at Nevada sportsbooks.
ESPN Chalk will keep you up to date on the biggest and most notable bets in this running file, along with international wagers.
[h=2]General nuggets[/h]• Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology has the over/under on Tom Brady passing yards in the Super Bowl set at 304.5. As of late Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 2), there had been three limit bets on the under, and no limit bets on the over.
• A bettor at MGM's sportsbook put $3,000 on the Patriots' first score of the Super Bowl being a safety at 50-1 odds and another $3,000 on the Falcons' first score being a safety at 60-1 odds.
• On Tuesday night (Jan. 31), William Hill sportsbook in Reno took a $137,500 bet on over 59 on the Super Bowl.
• Bill Sattler, director of specialty games for Caesars Entertainment and a veteran of the Las Vegas sports betting industry, expects that 70-80 percent of the money wagered on the Super Bowl will be placed in the week leading up to the Sunday kick.
• As of Sunday afternoon at MGM's sportsbooks, twice as much money had been bet on New England as had been bet on Atlanta.
• Out of the first $2,000 bet on the coin flip at the Westgate SuperBook, $1,300 was on heads. "We always need tails," said Ed Salmons, assistant manager at the SuperBook.
• The two cross-sports props that attracted early action at the Golden Nugget sportsbook:
1) Alex Ovechkin's points in the Washington Capitals' Sunday game against the Los Angeles Kings versus Falcons pass-rusher Vic Beasley's sacks in the Super Bowl.
2) Tom Brady's completions +6.5 versus Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas' points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
• The Golden Nugget took early action on the Patriots not to score a touchdown at 200-1 and on the Falcons not to score a touchdown at 100-1.
• As of Sunday, the Westgate SuperBook had taken two bets on the Patriots scoring exactly two points in the Super Bowl at 9,999-1 odds.
• A bettor at a William Hill sportsbook put $4,800 on the "No" on "Will there be overtime in the Super Bowl?" at -800 on Jan. 28.
• On Jan. 29, William Hill took a $400 bet on the Falcons scoring exactly 18 points at 125-1. Bet would net $50,400.
• On Jan. 27, William Hill took a $4,300 bet on the "No" on the prop bet "Will there be at least one scoreless quarter?" at -430. The bet would net $1,000.
• On Jan 29, William Hill took a $4,000 bet on the "No" on "Will there be a safety?" at -800. Bet would net $500.
• Caesars Palace has posted a prop bet on the height of the first player to score a touchdown. "Early action is on the short dudes," said Caesars Palace sportsbook director Frank Kunovic.
[h=2]New England Patriots[/h]• The largest Super Bowl bet placed at U.K. sportsbook Ladbrokes as of Thursday afternoon (Feb. 2) was £15,000 ($18,800) on the Patriots money line (-150). The handle on the game was on pace to be the most-heavily bet Super Bowl at Ladbrokes ever, according to company spokesperson Alex Donohue.
• Executive director of race and sports at Wynn Las Vegas Johnny Avello told Chalk over the weekend that he's already taken several "six-figure" bets on New England -3.
On Jan. 24, William Hill's Nevada sportsbook took a $60,000 money-line bet on the Patriots at -150. The bet would net $40,000.
[h=2]Atlanta Falcons[/h]• On Wed., Feb. 1, director of race and sports for Boyd Gaming Corporation Bob Scucci reported taking an $80,000 bet on the Falcons +3
• Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology reported taking a "mid-six-figure" bet on the Falcons +3 on Jan. 26
• South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said Sunday that he took a high-five-figure bet on under 59.5 from a "wiseguy" and another "strong" five-figure bet on the Falcons money line at +145.
• On Jan. 26, William Hill's Nevada sportsbook took a $50,000 on Falcons +3 (EVEN). Bet would net $50,000.
