Gamblin'NFL

$150-$250 Million In Bets Were Swung Thanks To Last Night’s Blown Call

Betting is one of football’s largest draws. If you’ve ever seen a guy at a bar in an Aaron Rodgers jersey scream at Andy Dalton, who’s playing the Redskins, you know what we’re talking about. The spread of last night’s Packers-Seahawks game closed at -3, with the Packers as the favorite. That final touchdown, which we’ve talked a bit about, actually swung the winner, betting-wise.

Because the final catch was ruled a touchdown, Seattle won by two, instead of losing by five, thus completely altering the fortunes of bettors everywhere.

There are a lot of angry bettors out there, understandably. And it turns out that the number of dollars swung by the review booth’s gaffe (Yes, the review booth. It’s the same booth as every other year, not replacements. Although the replacement refs botched the initial call, it’s the review booth that should have overturned it but did not.), happens to total around $150-$250 million, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.

“Mike Perry, spokesman for betting site Sportsbook.ag, told ESPN.com his estimate in the money swing on the call at the end of the game is closer to between $200 million and $250 million.

Perry said that 70 to 80 percent of the money on his site was put on the Packers, which is in line with the percentage bet in Vegas. At Mandalay Bay, the sportsbook took in about $500,000 in total bets, with about 85 percent of the money on the Packers.

Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, who sets the lines for USA Today, had the highest estimate of those surveyed by ESPN.com. Sheridan said Tuesday morning that he believes that $1 billion in total money changed hands with the touchdown call.”

There is one small contingent of Packers bettors that can’t be upset, as the line opened at -6. So even if the call wasn’t blown, those who bet the line early still would have lost. Otherwise though, holy shit.

Football!

[ESPN]

Photo via Getty

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