The biggest loser of Super Bowl 53 might not have been the Los Angeles Rams, but the anonymous gambler dubbed “Bettor X†that wagered millions on them. He put down $3.8 million on the moneyline on the NFC Champions, then watched in horror as the team came up woefully short.
It was easily the biggest wager of the Super Bowl. Some oddsmakers had tried to put a rosy spin on the big game, but they saw a lot less of the big money bets that are synonymous with the final NFL game of the season.
As a result Nevada sportsbooks didn’t come close to the handle they had last year. Bettors spent $149.5 million on the game, compared to last year’s record amount of $158.4 million.
Though bettor fatigue on the Patriots was most cited as the reason for the decline in handle, Stations Casinos vice president Art Manteris told ESPN that the weekend was still a success.
“Personally, I’m not alarmed at all,†Manteris said. “Our properties were jammed, our hotel capacity was great and the crowds at all 16 sportsbooks were at capacity.â€
Few Betting Highlights
Still, though, the whales stayed away from the game. One bettor who had bet nearly several million last year, didn’t come close to that amount this year. The amount of six-figure bets seemed lower than last year as well.
Bettor X was the lone bright spot. The man, who also had the nickname “Sir Let it Ride†for his World Series wagers in 2017, first placed approximately a $2 million bet with MGM Resorts two days before the game on Los Angeles on the moneyline.
Saturday he apparently used the William Hill phone app to put another $1.5 million on the Rams on the moneyline. That action resulted in William Hill lowering its line from 3 points to 2.5 points. Later Saturday he went to the South Point and plunked down $300,000 on the Rams.
If he had won, he would have collected $4.56 million. Instead he lost $3.8 million, just $700,000 less than all of the New Jersey sportsbooks did.
The one highlight was a gambler who put down $250 bet that the Rams would score just three points at 400/1 odds. He cashed for a nice $100,000.
Streak Snapped
Until Sunday, Bettor X had an improbable run that netted him around $25 million. It was limited and efficient, focusing on just two events – the 2017 World Series and last year’s Super Bowl.
In the Fall Classic between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers, he began modestly by his standards, placing a $500,000 bet on the Dodgers to win the first game, which they did. He then carried that money over to the next game, picking the Astros, who won.
By the third game, word had gotten around town, and the mystery gambler was forced to spread his money around, but kept the same strategy of letting his winnings ride to the next game.
On Game 6 he had $8 million and bet it all on the Dodgers, when the won, he took his $14 million and vanished. He appeared again before Super Bowl 52, betting around $6 million on the moneyline on Philadelphia. When they won, it was estimated he took an $11 million profit.
