Frank Costanza
Co-Inventor of the Man's Bra
Sunday would've been a lot louder but, like the roars at a crowd-less Augusta National, the sounds coming out of sportsbooks these days are tempered by social distancing and limited occupancy. However, the disbelief of the betting public, if not heard, was clearly felt coast to coast after two dramatic NFL endings.
A collective moan rang out from bettors at the Mirage in Las Vegas, and there was a bit of an uproar at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Each reaction was caused by the same sudden left turn by Browns running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb's decision to run out of bounds instead of scoring a touchdown that would've covered the spread in the Browns' 10-7 win over the Texans is one of the wild stories that emerge from the sports betting world and produce such emotional reactions at sportsbooks.
On one side of the betting counter, you had bookmakers pounding their fists on their desks and yelling as Chubb broke free down the sideline. They needed the Texans to cover the 4.5-point spread in their biggest decision of the morning slate.
"We were yelling and then, unbelievable, he runs out of bounds," Jeff Stoneback, director of race and sports for BetMGM in Nevada, said. "That was our biggest game of the morning."
On the other side of the counter, you had bettors expressing their displeasure about Chubb's decision to step out of bounds at the Texans' 1-yard line with 56 seconds left.
"It certainly helped us and ... broke quite a few hearts," Tom Gable, sportsbook director at the Borgata, told ESPN.
Approximately three hours later, the gambling gods struck again, when Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins leaped high above several Bills defenders to haul in a 43-yard game-winning touchdown pass from Kyler Murray with two seconds remaining. Arizona, which closed as a consensus 3-point favorite, elected to forgo the extra point to avoid any risk of a blocked kick returned for a game-tying two-point conversion. The Cardinals won 32-30.
The reaction from the betting public to the Hail Murray was more mixed than with Chubb. The action was much more evenly split on Bills-Cardinals than on Texans-Browns at most sportsbooks. Still, the thought of being inside a packed sportsbook and hearing the sounds caused by both events brought a big smile to my face.
Here's hoping we're all back in stadiums and sportsbooks to enjoy these kinds of Sundays as soon as safely possible. And here's this week's edition of Notable Bets.
"Safe to say, bettors took this round," Patrick Eichner, communications director for sportsbook PointsBet, told ESPN.
• It could've been really ugly for the books, if not for an old nemesis coming through late. The Patriots covering the spread in a 23-17 upset of the Ravens on Sunday night avoided what would've been the largest loss on a single game this season for the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas.
BetMGM reported taking two large bets on the Ravens prior to kickoff: $280,000 on the Baltimore money line at -300 to win $93,333, and $110,000 on the Ravens -7.
Every live bet New Jersey sportsbook Tipico took in the first half of the Ravens-Patriots game was on the Ravens, according to a sportsbook employee.
• The Hail Murray prevented a bettor with William Hill from completing a $2,000 six-team parlay featuring: Dustin Johnson to win the Masters (-300); Aryna Sabalenka (-180) over Elise Mertens in tennis (-180); Giants (+185) over Eagles; Buccaneers (-5.5) over Panthers; Steelers (-7) over Bengals; Bills (+125) over Cardinals.
The parlay offered a potential $96,947.11 payout.
• With Buffalo leading 16-9, a customer at the Borgata bet $100,000 on the Bills +3 in the second half. The Hail Murray cost the big bettor their wager.
• Remember, for every bad beat caused by Chubb's choice, there are some who came away winners -- including one bettor at FanDuel who placed a $103,000 bet on the Texans +4.5.
• The Packers were the biggest favorites on the board Sunday, laying -13.5 to the Jaguars. Aaron Rodgers rallied Green Bay from behind for a 24-20 win and saved a couple of large money-line bets at William Hill U.S.
The book reported taking a $99,000 money-line bet on the Packers at -1100 to beat the Jaguars straight up. The bettor won a net $9,000.
William Hill also reported taking a $102,318.41 money-line parlay at its Indiana sportsbook on the Packers (-1100), Buccaneers (-250) and Browns (-215). All three came through, and the bettor won a net $126,632.54.
• FanDuel reported taking a $158,620 bet on Wake Forest +11.5 against North Carolina. The Tar Heels scored 28 straight points to open the fourth quarter and took a 59-45 lead with 2:39 left. Wake Forest scored with 57 seconds remaining to cover the spread in a 59-53 final.
www.espn.com
A collective moan rang out from bettors at the Mirage in Las Vegas, and there was a bit of an uproar at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Each reaction was caused by the same sudden left turn by Browns running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb's decision to run out of bounds instead of scoring a touchdown that would've covered the spread in the Browns' 10-7 win over the Texans is one of the wild stories that emerge from the sports betting world and produce such emotional reactions at sportsbooks.
On one side of the betting counter, you had bookmakers pounding their fists on their desks and yelling as Chubb broke free down the sideline. They needed the Texans to cover the 4.5-point spread in their biggest decision of the morning slate.
"We were yelling and then, unbelievable, he runs out of bounds," Jeff Stoneback, director of race and sports for BetMGM in Nevada, said. "That was our biggest game of the morning."
On the other side of the counter, you had bettors expressing their displeasure about Chubb's decision to step out of bounds at the Texans' 1-yard line with 56 seconds left.
"It certainly helped us and ... broke quite a few hearts," Tom Gable, sportsbook director at the Borgata, told ESPN.
Approximately three hours later, the gambling gods struck again, when Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins leaped high above several Bills defenders to haul in a 43-yard game-winning touchdown pass from Kyler Murray with two seconds remaining. Arizona, which closed as a consensus 3-point favorite, elected to forgo the extra point to avoid any risk of a blocked kick returned for a game-tying two-point conversion. The Cardinals won 32-30.
The reaction from the betting public to the Hail Murray was more mixed than with Chubb. The action was much more evenly split on Bills-Cardinals than on Texans-Browns at most sportsbooks. Still, the thought of being inside a packed sportsbook and hearing the sounds caused by both events brought a big smile to my face.
Here's hoping we're all back in stadiums and sportsbooks to enjoy these kinds of Sundays as soon as safely possible. And here's this week's edition of Notable Bets.
NFL
• The Browns not covering against the Texans was one of the very few games that didn't go the betting public's way on a Sunday that saw 10 of 12 favorites win outright."Safe to say, bettors took this round," Patrick Eichner, communications director for sportsbook PointsBet, told ESPN.
• It could've been really ugly for the books, if not for an old nemesis coming through late. The Patriots covering the spread in a 23-17 upset of the Ravens on Sunday night avoided what would've been the largest loss on a single game this season for the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas.
BetMGM reported taking two large bets on the Ravens prior to kickoff: $280,000 on the Baltimore money line at -300 to win $93,333, and $110,000 on the Ravens -7.
Every live bet New Jersey sportsbook Tipico took in the first half of the Ravens-Patriots game was on the Ravens, according to a sportsbook employee.
• The Hail Murray prevented a bettor with William Hill from completing a $2,000 six-team parlay featuring: Dustin Johnson to win the Masters (-300); Aryna Sabalenka (-180) over Elise Mertens in tennis (-180); Giants (+185) over Eagles; Buccaneers (-5.5) over Panthers; Steelers (-7) over Bengals; Bills (+125) over Cardinals.
The parlay offered a potential $96,947.11 payout.
• With Buffalo leading 16-9, a customer at the Borgata bet $100,000 on the Bills +3 in the second half. The Hail Murray cost the big bettor their wager.
• Remember, for every bad beat caused by Chubb's choice, there are some who came away winners -- including one bettor at FanDuel who placed a $103,000 bet on the Texans +4.5.
• The Packers were the biggest favorites on the board Sunday, laying -13.5 to the Jaguars. Aaron Rodgers rallied Green Bay from behind for a 24-20 win and saved a couple of large money-line bets at William Hill U.S.
The book reported taking a $99,000 money-line bet on the Packers at -1100 to beat the Jaguars straight up. The bettor won a net $9,000.
William Hill also reported taking a $102,318.41 money-line parlay at its Indiana sportsbook on the Packers (-1100), Buccaneers (-250) and Browns (-215). All three came through, and the bettor won a net $126,632.54.
College football
• Florida State has never been this big of a home underdog. By Sunday night, the line on the Clemson-Florida State had grown, and the Seminoles found themselves as 32.5-point home underdogs. Since 1978, Florida State has been a 20-plus-point underdog only three times, and all three games were on the road. The Seminoles were 18.5-point home underdogs to Clemson in 2019.• FanDuel reported taking a $158,620 bet on Wake Forest +11.5 against North Carolina. The Tar Heels scored 28 straight points to open the fourth quarter and took a 59-45 lead with 2:39 left. Wake Forest scored with 57 seconds remaining to cover the spread in a 59-53 final.
Notable Bets: Chubb's choice, Hail Murray and Patriots upset light up sportsbooks
Week 10 featured two wild finishes that made a big difference for bettors, plus a big upset to wrap up the slate Sunday.
www.espn.com
