Share

Patriots the early pick in Las Vegas books

Share

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Oddsmakers made the Super Bowl essentially a tossup in opening lines Sunday, though bettors quickly turned the New England Patriots into a slight favorite in what is expected to be the most heavily bet — at least legally — title game ever.

Early bets moved the line at many books so the Patriots were either one- or two-point favorites. The over-under was 58 at some books, 58.5 at others.

Bettors pounced on early lines at the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook and William Hill chain that opened with the game as a tossup or the Rams a 1-point favorite. The early bets moved the line at most books in favor of the Patriots.

The Station Casinos chain opened the Patriots as a one-point pick, and it went to two points in early betting. Oddsmakers adjust betting lines to try and balance their action on both sides.

The rare disagreement among bookmakers came after two overtime conference championship games that drew heavy action in this city’s sports books.

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

The first Super Bowl since sports betting became legal outside Nevada is expected to draw record action in Nevada, and should blow past last year’s $158.6 million — itself a record — when the bets are tallied from a handful of states that now have sports betting.

Bookies wasted no time setting the line as the final seconds ticked off in New England’s dramatic win over Kansas City. Bettors then wasted no time testing the opinion of oddsmakers at the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook as they went to the window to get down the first Super Bowl bets with the Rams initially listed as a one-point favorite.

“It’s just been electric,” Westgate oddsmaker Jay Kornegay said. “We certainly expect to set a new record this year.”

The point spread will likely fluctuate around the city in upcoming days as big bettors make their moves.

Nevada sports books won only 0.7 percent of the last year’s handle for $1.17 million to narrowly avoid losing money on the Super Bowl for the third time in 28 years.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation