'Super Bowl-esque' betting on fight fueled by million-dollar wages
David Purdum
8/26/17
Big bets were coming in fast and furious in the hours leading up Saturday night's fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, highlighted by two more $1 million bets on the favored boxing champion.
The MGM and South Point sportsbooks each reported taking $1 million bets on Mayweather on Saturday afternoon, driving up the number of reported million-dollar bets on the fight to four, or three more than were reported on Super Bowl LI in Las Vegas.
"It's Super Bowl-esque," Bill Sattler, director of specialty games for Caesars Entertainment, told ESPN in a text message.
Even with the big bets on Mayweather, most sportsbooks were still facing sizable liability on the underdog McGregor. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT, Caesars Palace sportsbooks wrote more than 1,200 bets on the fight. Ninety-two percent of those bets were on McGregor.
Four hours before the fight, Mayweather's odds could be found as high as -675 and as low as -500. McGregor was around a 4-1 underdog at most sportsbooks.
The Westgate SuperBook began the day with Mayweather at -700, but had moved the price down to -550 by mid-afternoon. Nevada sportsbooks were estimating that as much as $80 million could bet on the fight state-wide, making it the most heavily bet boxing match ever.
State-wide bets in Nevada on Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons reached $138.4 million.
David Purdum
8/26/17
Big bets were coming in fast and furious in the hours leading up Saturday night's fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, highlighted by two more $1 million bets on the favored boxing champion.
The MGM and South Point sportsbooks each reported taking $1 million bets on Mayweather on Saturday afternoon, driving up the number of reported million-dollar bets on the fight to four, or three more than were reported on Super Bowl LI in Las Vegas.
"It's Super Bowl-esque," Bill Sattler, director of specialty games for Caesars Entertainment, told ESPN in a text message.
Even with the big bets on Mayweather, most sportsbooks were still facing sizable liability on the underdog McGregor. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT, Caesars Palace sportsbooks wrote more than 1,200 bets on the fight. Ninety-two percent of those bets were on McGregor.
Four hours before the fight, Mayweather's odds could be found as high as -675 and as low as -500. McGregor was around a 4-1 underdog at most sportsbooks.
The Westgate SuperBook began the day with Mayweather at -700, but had moved the price down to -550 by mid-afternoon. Nevada sportsbooks were estimating that as much as $80 million could bet on the fight state-wide, making it the most heavily bet boxing match ever.
State-wide bets in Nevada on Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons reached $138.4 million.
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