It seems bettors were tuning up for Super Bowl 54 wagers by making big bets on the AFC and NFC Championship. Sportsbooks, especially in Las Vegas, reported some sizable bets from regular customers.
The AFC Championship opened at 7.5 points in favor of Kansas City, but dropped to seven at most sportsbooks before Sunday’s late afternoon start time at Arrowhead Stadium. The Mirage in Las Vegas was one of the only places to keep the line at 7.5. According to sportsbook manager Scott Shelton, 60 percent of the tickets were on the Chiefs, but 74 percent of the money bet was on the Titans.
Shelton also reported that one regular had spread four bets totaling $485,000 on the Titans, getting 7.5 points. He also put $235,000 on the first-half spread at 4.5 points with the Titans, and another $210,000 on the first-half over of 25.5 points. He lost the total bets, but did take home money on the first-half wagers.
Big Bets on Conference Championships
In addition to those bets, Shelton said there had been four, six-figure bets on San Francisco to defeat Green Bay at home in the NFC Championship. One of those four bets was a $300,000 teaser combination on San Francisco and Kansas City. It came through, and paid $200,000.
The Mirage also saw a $105,000 wager on the 49ers that cashed. The Bellagio had a bet of $127,500 on the 49ers that also came through.
William Hill saw a sizable wager on the under in the Packers-49ers over/under line of 47. The bettor put $66,000 on the under and lost.
CG Technology took a wager on the Titans in the AFC Championship, but the bettor only got seven points, leaving a half-point on the table. He bet $110,000 to win $100,000. Turns out, it didn’t matter, as the Titans lost, 35-24.
Outside of Las Vegas, the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, MS, took a couple of large wagers, including a $120,000 bet to win $100,000 on San Francisco at -7.5. Both bets cashed.
Mattress Mack Returns with $1 Million Bet
The biggest loser of the day was also the most famous. Houston furniture store owner Jim McIngvale, who bet $3.5 million on the Astros to win the 2019 World Series, was at it again. The man, nicknamed Mattress Mack, posted on Twitter Saturday asking if anyone knew of a sportsbook that would take $1 million wager on Tennessee. He lost the week before, betting on Houston to defeat Kansas City in the Divisional Playoffs.
During the MLB playoffs, Mattress Mack made a number of big-money wagers on the Houston Astros at the Scarlet Pearl Casino in Biloxi, MS. He returned to Mississippi on Sunday morning, making two $500,000 moneyline wagers on the Titans at an undisclosed sportsbook. Had he won, he would have collected $3 million.
