Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Early Super Bowl betting drifts toward Giants - B Sun
Good Read from the Baltimore Sun:
The game within the game for the Super Bowl has already begun. That would be the betting interest that the NFL championship generates.
Because of the twin factors of the Patriots going for a perfect season and the inclusion of the Giants, a team from the largest metro market in the country, the amount of money expected to be bet on the game will certainly set a record of more than $100 million in Nevada alone (the record is $94.5 million for Steelers-Seahawks in January 2006). And that's the tip of the betting iceberg. Counting Internet, street wagers and private pools, the Super Bowl will generate up to a couple of billion dollars in gross wagering.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the traditional oddsmakers for Nevada casinos, started the line for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl at New England favored by 14 points, with and over/under (combined points scored by both teams) of 55.
We're still a long way from the Supe with the bulk of the public money yet to flex its muscle but the early cash has been overwhelmingly on the Giants. A recent look at the Vegas odds showed the major casinos out there lowering the spread to 12, 12 1/2 points. One big-time online site had the line all the way down to 11 1/2. The over-under also has been bet down to 53 1/2, 54.
Some of that movement is an infatuation with the surprising Giants. But another part is that the Patriots -- who were just as perfect for pro-New England bettors as they were in the standings covering double-digit spreads through the first half of the season -- are 2-8 ATS since early November. The Giants, on the other hand, have covered in seven of their last eight games (13-6 ATS overall).
The game within the game for the Super Bowl has already begun. That would be the betting interest that the NFL championship generates.
Because of the twin factors of the Patriots going for a perfect season and the inclusion of the Giants, a team from the largest metro market in the country, the amount of money expected to be bet on the game will certainly set a record of more than $100 million in Nevada alone (the record is $94.5 million for Steelers-Seahawks in January 2006). And that's the tip of the betting iceberg. Counting Internet, street wagers and private pools, the Super Bowl will generate up to a couple of billion dollars in gross wagering.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the traditional oddsmakers for Nevada casinos, started the line for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl at New England favored by 14 points, with and over/under (combined points scored by both teams) of 55.
We're still a long way from the Supe with the bulk of the public money yet to flex its muscle but the early cash has been overwhelmingly on the Giants. A recent look at the Vegas odds showed the major casinos out there lowering the spread to 12, 12 1/2 points. One big-time online site had the line all the way down to 11 1/2. The over-under also has been bet down to 53 1/2, 54.
Some of that movement is an infatuation with the surprising Giants. But another part is that the Patriots -- who were just as perfect for pro-New England bettors as they were in the standings covering double-digit spreads through the first half of the season -- are 2-8 ATS since early November. The Giants, on the other hand, have covered in seven of their last eight games (13-6 ATS overall).
Labels: New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, sports betting
