Well, this is most certainly going to sting for quite some time. With more than 50 million Americans projected to bet on the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month, you knew some serious coin would be put down. Well, what if we told you a Vegas bettor lost $2.2 million on a single Super Bowl bet, because that’s exactly what happened.
According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, someone hit a local sportsbook during Super Bowl Sunday and had $2.2 million on the Eagles covering the spread, which was set at 1.5 points. As you might have been able to imagine, that person’s heart must have dropped to the floor when Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker drilled the game-winning field goal with only a little time left on the clock.
As the final whistle blew, the Chiefs celebrated a 38-35 victory. At halftime, remember that the Eagles were holding a comfortable 10-point lead. At that point, countless fans, including the fan who had so much money on the Eagles spread, must have thought that they would come out on top. There was surely no way the Eagles would blow a double-digit lead, right?
Wrong. Led by the strong right arm of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs were able to wipe away their large deficit and capture their second Lombardi Trophy in the past four years. Many people were happy to see the Chiefs and Mahomes lift the trophy, but on the other side of things, many people were beyond upset. The bettor who lost $2.2 million is most definitely on that list.
Elsewhere, it has been reported that the Vegas sportsbooks lost a lot of money thanks to the over. With two high-octane offenses like this, plenty of points were expected to be scored. Not only is Mahomes the best player in the NFL right now, but Jalen Hurts proven he’s one of the top guys whenever he takes the field as well. Those two signal-callers are special.
With that said, the over/under was set at 51.5 points with -110 NFL betting odds for both. Seriously? When that number first dropped, many people couldn’t believe things were so low. As good as the offenses are for both teams, it was important to remember that both Kansas City and Philadelphia had struggled to contain teams throughout the postseason defensively.
That’s why people were racing to bet on the over through their favorite sportsbooks, which you know includes the reliable Bovada review. With the final score being 38-35, 73 points were scored in the Super Bowl. Fans were treated to a spectacular game, with points going up left and right. The fact that these teams scored over 20 points from the original over is wild to even think about. What were the oddsmakers thinking?
Not only that, but even at halftime, people were confident that plenty of offensive action was on the way for the final 30 minutes of play. Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a bettor in Sin City put down $1.2 million in hopes that the over would be more than 62.5 points. Thanks to Hurts and Mahomes, that proved to be no trouble at all, which cost the local sportsbooks quite a bit of dough. That low number for the over/under didn’t make sense from the start.
To no surprise, people are already placing bets for next year’s Super Bowl. The Chiefs are riding high right now and they’re certainly going to have a ton of confidence next winter as well, as they hold the top Super Bowl betting odds for the 2024 edition as well. With Mahomes back in town for the long haul, the AFC West powerhouse is always going to be a force.
Not only that, but Travis Kelce remains one of the best offensive weapons in the game. The Chiefs were able to showcase just how incredible they can be, which will surely have many opposing defenses nervous for next season. With that said, many teams are hoping to re-tool and get back to a strong position to make some noise next year. Teams like the Bengals, Eagles, Cowboys, 49ers and more have been receiving a lot of bets.
One team in particular you know will be motivated to bounce back is the Buffalo Bills. Throughout the 2022 campaign, the Bills were the favorites to win the Super Bowl. However, Josh Allen and Co. dropped the ball in the postseason, losing to the Bengals in the Divisional Round. Because of this, Buffalo will look to make some needed improvements in the NFL Draft and free agency. This team has what it takes to beat KC down the road.
