An unnamed gambler has made a multimillion-dollar bet on the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of 2018 Super Bowl, according to officials from MGM Resorts, kicking off what promises to be a busy couple weeks for Nevada sportsbooks. The bet, made at an MGM property, appears to be one of the largest sports wagers in Nevada in recent memory.
Jay Rood, MGM’s vice president of race and sports, told ESPN.com about the massive bet, but didn’t provide many details beyond saying it was a “multimillion-dollar bet” on the Eagles. Rood wouldn’t say anything about the bettor either, other than saying he had dealt with this customer before.
Moving Lines
The bet was enough to force the MGM’s lines to move. “Obviously, we’re pretty heavy Eagles now,” Rood said.
Bookmakers so far have made the Eagles a clear underdog to the New England Patriots, but the odds have been shifting towards Philadelphia. After opening as a 5.5-point underdog, most sportsbooks now have the line at -5 or even -4.5. The money line on the Eagles has also moved, dropping from +180 to +170 at MGM.
According to Rood, getting a multimillion-dollar bet or two on the Super Bowl isn’t totally unusual. However, these bets typically come in on the weekend of the game, he explained, rather than more than a week earlier. This much early money presents a unique opportunity for the sportsbook, however, as they have plenty of time to balance out that big bet.
“It’s a good position that we got it this early,” Rood said. “It gives us an opportunity to do what we’re supposed to do, try and put us in the best possible position.”
Super Bowl Big Bets
Monstrous bets have become as much a part of the Super Bowl as the commercials. And the level of wagering only gets bigger every year. In 2017, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said that the state’s sportsbooks took in a record handle of $138.5 million. The bookmakers made a profit of $10.9 million, the ninth straight years where the books were up overall on the game.
Those numbers are bolstered when gamblers decide to bet big on whatever position they’ve chosen to take. While six-figure bets are more common, multimillion-dollar bets still have the potential to create headlines or move lines.
Last year, one of the largest bets was a $1.1 million wager on Atlanta Falcons made at a CG Technology sportsbook through its mobile phone app. They took the Falcons +3, meaning that they suffered a heartbreaking loss after the Patriots famously came back from a 28-3 deficit to pull off a stunning 6-point win, 34-28, in overtime.
Some lucky gamblers have seen even larger bets on the Super Bowl go their way. Professional bettor Billy Walters once said that the largest bet he ever made was a $3.5 million wager on the New Orleans Saints, who were an underdog to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints ended up winning that game 31-17.