Collectively, bettors won early with the Packers on Sunday, but then took a beating with the Bengals, Broncos, and Texans to give sportsbooks a winning Sunday. After a losing Thanksgiving, the house more than made up for it in NFL Week 13.
Initially it appeared the momentum from Thursday’s three losses was going to continue for sportsbooks. They took minor hits from the Bears, Bills, and Saints winning the Thanksgiving games.
Sunday started well for bettors. The Packers, who were 6.5-point favorites at the New York Giants, had the most tickets and money at several places, including William Hill. They had 94 percent of the tickets written, and 90 percent of the money. Caesars reported that 93 percent of the bets were on the Packers.
The public was ignoring the stat that since 2003, teams getting 80 percent or more of bets have gone 96-117-9 against the spread. According to BetLabs, Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers is 5-9 against the spread when in that situation.
One bettor, however, thought the Giants could cover. He bet $440,000 to win $400,000. He saw his ticket go up in flames when the Packers won, 31-13.
Packers Give, but Bengals, Texans, Broncos Take Away
The Packers were the biggest percentage of wagers by far, but bettors soon learned their Sunday wasn’t going to be that profitable. The Bengals, Broncos, and Texans all stung the public.
The Bengals were the first to ding gamblers. The NFL’s last remaining, winless team was hosting the New York Jets and getting 2.5 points. The public thought that was too low, especially for a Jets team that had won their last three, scoring 34 points in all of those victories. At William Hill, 86 percent of the tickets and 66 percent of the money was bet on the Jets.
Then, New York made history by becoming the first NFL team to lose twice to teams that were 0-7 or worse. The Bengals had their first victory, 22-6, and parlay cards and Jets tickets were ruined.
Jeff Davis, director of trading at Caesars, told Covers.com that other than the Packers, they needed Denver to cover against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos were getting 3.5 points.
“This is the swing game of all swing games,†Davis said before the game. “Very unlikely we can win for the day today if LA covers.â€
They didn’t. In fact, they lost outright, 23-20. William Hill reported 72 percent of the tickets were on the Chargers, along with 78 percent of the money.
Patriots-Texans Bettors’ Last Hope
The Sunday night game was New England at Houston, and William Hill saw 84 percent of the tickets on the Patriots, along with 83 percent of the money. The Texans were 3-point home dogs, but clobbered both the Patriots and bettors, winning 28-22.
One gambler managed to profit off the game. CG Technology reported that an unidentified customer placed a $50,000 wager on the Texans, and walked away with a $45,000 profit.
Another bettor also hit it big. Someone betting at DraftKings plunked down $565,000 on the Texans and walked away with $452,000.
Prop Bet Hits Big
One new betting feature on this year’s NFL season is prop bets on games. One hit big on Sunday when Texans running back, Duke Johnson scored the game’s first touchdown.
At 14/1 odds, his 14-yard reception cashed for bettors savvy enough to plunk down a bet on him.
Stat of the Week
For the first time in New England quarterback Tom Brady’s career, he’s had back-to-back completion ratios of under 50 percent. Against Houston on Sunday, Brady was 24-47.
Last week against Dallas, he was 17-37 for 190 yards and one interception.
