No biggie... I was going by this that I had read just before your post...
Big, influential money on the Seattle Seahawks showed up Saturday in Las Vegas, causing sportsbooks to adjust the Super Bowl point spread heading into game day.
The MGM, Caesars, Westgate, Golden Nugget, South Point, Station's and CG Technology sportsbooks moved the line from New England minus-1 to pick 'em Saturday, as money poured in on the Seahawks. Most books reported still having more money on the Patriots, but the gap was narrowing.
"We're taking more bets on the Patriots, but the more substantial money has been on the Seahawks," Jason Simbal, vice president of risk for CG Technology, said Saturday. "What we've been seeing lately is for every two-, three-, four- or five-hundred dollar bet that comes in on New England, we'll then take a five-figure bet on Seattle."
The MGM, which took a seven-figure wager on the Patriots last week, was one of the last Vegas books to move the line to pick 'em Saturday.
MGM vice president of race and sports Jay Rood said the seven-figure transaction was handled in advance with the funds being transferred to the casino cage. He would not elaborate on the identity of the bettor, who spared no expense.
"They laid the proper vig," Rood said.
That was the lone seven-figure wager reported by the books as of Saturday night, but Rood said his shop has already taken "a lot" of six-figure wagers, the majority of them on the Patriots. More big bets will undoubtedly show up Sunday.
CG Technology, which is known to cater to some of the biggest players in Vegas, including professional sports bettor Billy Walters and boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., also was expecting large wagers to arrive today.
"We're not going to comment on individual customers," Simbal said, "but we're still waiting to see what other high rollers want to do."
The Wynn and Stratosphere sportsbooks still had the Patriots favored as of Saturday night. Wynn sportsbook director John Avello said two times more money had been bet on the Seahawks than the Patriots at his shop. He took multiple six-figure bets on Seattle on Saturday. But the Wynn was an outlier.
The vast majority of books were rooting against the Patriots heading into Sunday.
"I believe most Nevada bookmakers will be Seattle fans on Sunday," Station's sportsbook director Art Manteris said. "I almost certainly will be."
Before Saturday's line movement, the Super Bowl point spread had held steady at New England minus-1 for two weeks. Most books opened the line at Seattle minus-2.5 on championship Sunday, but the number quickly moved in favor of the Patriots.
Sportsbook operator William Hill was one of the only shops to keep the point spread at pick 'em for the past two weeks. William Hill reported Saturday night that 62 percent of the money wagered at its shops was on the Patriots. There has never been a Super Bowl with a consensus closing line of pick 'em.
The San Francisco 49ers were favored by one point over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI in 1982. The Miami Dolphins were 1-point favorites over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII in 1973.
"If anything, I'd say it moves to Seattle [minus] one," Westgate head football oddsmaker Ed Salmons said.
Prominent offshore sportsbook Bookmaker.eu made the Seahawks 1-point favorites on Saturday.
The Super Bowl over/under total also has been on the move. After opening as high as 49.5, the total was down to 47.5 at most sportsbooks.
This article has been Updated at 1AM
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ts-book-takes-seven-figure-wager-on-patriots/
Million dollar bet placed on Pats at MGM grand
Million dollar bet placed on Pats at MGM grand
<s>@</s>PinnacleSports: Seahawks -1 (-105).
Super Bowl line flips at Golden Nugget, Seahawks now favored
Just after six Las Vegas sports books made the move from Patriots -1 down to pick ‘em on Saturday, the Golden Nugget went a step further and made the Seahawks the 1-point favorites for Sunday’s Super Bowl. The downtown bet shop made the adjustment at 12:46 p.m. PT, returning to the number it hasn’t been at since the Monday after Championship Sunday.
Super Bowl lines: Current point spreads and totals
“It’s just been all Seattle money today,” said assistant book manager Aaron Kessler. “We’ve been slammed here, and the volume we’ve had has dictated our move. We even had a guy lay Seahawks -1 for a limit wager shortly after making the move.”
Golden Nugget book director Tony Miller opened Seattle at -2.5 two Sundays ago, but the flow of action on New England quickly got him in line with the other books in town less than 24 hours after hanging his first Super Bowl number. Right now, the oddsmakers at the Nugget are letting the money tell them where to go.
“We book the game pretty square and leave most of opinions out of it once the betting started,” said Kessler. “Wherever the money takes is where our line will go.”
There are still three books in Las Vegas that have the Patriots -1, while all others, except the Nugget, are at pick ‘em.
Just after six Las Vegas sports books made the move from Patriots -1 down to pick ‘em on Saturday, the Golden Nugget went a step further and made the Seahawks the 1-point favorites for Sunday’s Super Bowl. The downtown bet shop made the adjustment at 12:46 p.m. PT, returning to the number it hasn’t been at since the Monday after Championship Sunday.
Super Bowl lines: Current point spreads and totals
“It’s just been all Seattle money today,” said assistant book manager Aaron Kessler. “We’ve been slammed here, and the volume we’ve had has dictated our move. We even had a guy lay Seahawks -1 for a limit wager shortly after making the move.”
Golden Nugget book director Tony Miller opened Seattle at -2.5 two Sundays ago, but the flow of action on New England quickly got him in line with the other books in town less than 24 hours after hanging his first Super Bowl number. Right now, the oddsmakers at the Nugget are letting the money tell them where to go.
“We book the game pretty square and leave most of opinions out of it once the betting started,” said Kessler. “Wherever the money takes is where our line will go.”
There are still three books in Las Vegas that have the Patriots -1, while all others, except the Nugget, are at pick ‘em.
South Point moves Super Bowl line to pick ‘em, gets flood of Patriots money
Betting action picks up
After nearly eight days of what was described as stagnant Super Bowl wagering, when a few Nevada sports books were skeptical about beating the $119 million state record for handle set last year, action on Wednesday and Thursday gave book operators some optimism.
“When looking at the daily ledgers from 2014 and 2015 in the two weeks before the Super Bowl, we’re actually close to our numbers from last year through the same amount of days,“ said veteran South Point sports book director Bert Osborne.
"I don't know if we can break it, but we're closer to our number than I initially thought a few days ago. We had a big push in the final Saturday and Sunday last year where we did a lot of maneuvering (on the money-line and point spread) that generated more action, and I don’t foresee us doing that this year, but we're on the same pace.”
Wednesday’s write at the South Point was a significant boost from the same Wednesday in 2014 and coincided with Osborne moving the Patriots from -1 to pick ‘em in the early afternoon, joining William Hill (pick Pats -115/Seahawks -105) and Aliante as the only books at pick ‘em in Las Vegas.
Live odds:
“I was surprised the type of volume we did on the Patriots after the move (to pick),” said Osborne. “I was in a position to move back to Patriots -1 by the time I left (Wednesday) night, but wanted to see what type of action we could get overnight (South Point is the only Vegas book open 24 hours), and when I got up this morning I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. One day it had built up so much; just tons of good-size wagers all night on the Patriots almost to the same degree I was seeing yesterday afternoon.”
Osborne made the move back to Patriots -1 at 7:01 a.m. PT this morning and likes where his books are positioned heading into the weekend, when 75 percent of his overall Super Bowl write will come.
“We’re in a good spot right now where our only loser in the four-way option is Patriots to the OVER,” said Osborne. “Now, that’s a loose figure because teasers are also tied into it, but I’d be thrilled if we're in the same situation by kickoff.”
Osborne says he has way more straight-bet action on the UNDER, which forced a move from 48.5 to 48 on Monday, but OVER has been the most common bet with parlay and teaser bettors – and since they pay out at 13-to-5 odds, parlay liability weighs more heavily than straight bets. The Wynn and CG Technology have joined the Westgate SuperBook at 47.5, while everyone else is at 48.
Most sports books opened the Seahawks at -2.5 on Championship Sunday, based on the same power ratings they had been using all season long, but outside of two books currently at pick ’em, every other book in Las Vegas is now using Patriots -1.
Sharp money has showed its hand at several books with Seattle wagers, but these large bets quickly get lost in the mounds of cash the public brings to the counter. This is the one game of the year where sharp money means little and the public controls the spread. And right now, Joe Public is feeling pretty good about the Patriots.
The public hiccup caused by the Deflate-gate controversy slowed bettors down, but only for a few days. All is forgiven and forgotten.
William Hill U.S. director of trading Nick Bogdanovich said on Wednesday of Super Bowl action at his shop, “I think it’s decent. I don’t do comparisons from day nine of this year to day nine of last year. This weekend I’ll have a better idea if we’re gonna outdo last year, (but) I think we’re definitely going to outdo last year. Will I say we’re on pace from last year? I don’t know because I don’t look at it like that. To me it looks pretty brisk.”
Betting action picks up
After nearly eight days of what was described as stagnant Super Bowl wagering, when a few Nevada sports books were skeptical about beating the $119 million state record for handle set last year, action on Wednesday and Thursday gave book operators some optimism.
“When looking at the daily ledgers from 2014 and 2015 in the two weeks before the Super Bowl, we’re actually close to our numbers from last year through the same amount of days,“ said veteran South Point sports book director Bert Osborne.
"I don't know if we can break it, but we're closer to our number than I initially thought a few days ago. We had a big push in the final Saturday and Sunday last year where we did a lot of maneuvering (on the money-line and point spread) that generated more action, and I don’t foresee us doing that this year, but we're on the same pace.”
Wednesday’s write at the South Point was a significant boost from the same Wednesday in 2014 and coincided with Osborne moving the Patriots from -1 to pick ‘em in the early afternoon, joining William Hill (pick Pats -115/Seahawks -105) and Aliante as the only books at pick ‘em in Las Vegas.
Live odds:
“I was surprised the type of volume we did on the Patriots after the move (to pick),” said Osborne. “I was in a position to move back to Patriots -1 by the time I left (Wednesday) night, but wanted to see what type of action we could get overnight (South Point is the only Vegas book open 24 hours), and when I got up this morning I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. One day it had built up so much; just tons of good-size wagers all night on the Patriots almost to the same degree I was seeing yesterday afternoon.”
Osborne made the move back to Patriots -1 at 7:01 a.m. PT this morning and likes where his books are positioned heading into the weekend, when 75 percent of his overall Super Bowl write will come.
“We’re in a good spot right now where our only loser in the four-way option is Patriots to the OVER,” said Osborne. “Now, that’s a loose figure because teasers are also tied into it, but I’d be thrilled if we're in the same situation by kickoff.”
Osborne says he has way more straight-bet action on the UNDER, which forced a move from 48.5 to 48 on Monday, but OVER has been the most common bet with parlay and teaser bettors – and since they pay out at 13-to-5 odds, parlay liability weighs more heavily than straight bets. The Wynn and CG Technology have joined the Westgate SuperBook at 47.5, while everyone else is at 48.
Most sports books opened the Seahawks at -2.5 on Championship Sunday, based on the same power ratings they had been using all season long, but outside of two books currently at pick ’em, every other book in Las Vegas is now using Patriots -1.
Sharp money has showed its hand at several books with Seattle wagers, but these large bets quickly get lost in the mounds of cash the public brings to the counter. This is the one game of the year where sharp money means little and the public controls the spread. And right now, Joe Public is feeling pretty good about the Patriots.
The public hiccup caused by the Deflate-gate controversy slowed bettors down, but only for a few days. All is forgiven and forgotten.
William Hill U.S. director of trading Nick Bogdanovich said on Wednesday of Super Bowl action at his shop, “I think it’s decent. I don’t do comparisons from day nine of this year to day nine of last year. This weekend I’ll have a better idea if we’re gonna outdo last year, (but) I think we’re definitely going to outdo last year. Will I say we’re on pace from last year? I don’t know because I don’t look at it like that. To me it looks pretty brisk.”
Every year there's a story like this. I want to see the ticket.
The next story will be the boxer bet a million dollars.
I also am skeptical of these sportsbook managers too appearing on TV, radio, and podcasts now around the globe telling you where the smart money is and what they need, etc,etc, etc....
