As the New England Patriots prepare to play their sixth Super Bowl in eight years, the action is pouring in on the underdog.
After the Patriots opened as 6.5-point favorites two weeks ago, multiple sportsbooks are reporting massive wagers on the Eagles. The action on Philadelphia has been so crazy, that the spread is down to four points at 5Dimes and 4.5 on BetOnline.
Even in the opening days of action, the money was pouring in for the Eagles. Between Tom Brady’s hand and Rob Gronkowski’s concussion, the Eagles are a healthier bet despite missing Carson Wentz. Even as Gronk’s status for SB52 was confirmed this week, bookmakers continued to report large wagers on Philadelphia.
As of Saturday morning, there are four confirmed wagers on Philadelphia in excess of $1 million. On Friday, a bettor at William Hill wagered $1 million on Eagles +155, which would net him over 1.5 million for winning.
Last year, only one bet of $1 million or higher on Super Bowl 51 was reported in Las Vegas.
There are big wagers, but the public also seems to be betting the Eagles heavy. At the end of the week, Caesars Palace sportsbooks reported that over 60 percent of spread bets and nearly 70 percent of all wagers were on the Eagles. Those numbers were even higher at William Hill.
The action is there, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t betting on the Patriots.
Largest bet on Patriots so far @MGMRaceSports : “Mid-six figures money line.”
Then there’s the story of Bettor X, who has resurfaced after a sizzling run during the World Series. His identity is unknown, but he made consecutive winning six-figure bets on the World Series in October. David Purdum at ESPN have now confirmed the same person has made multiple six-figure bets on the Eagles across Vegas. Those wagers include one million dollars on the Eagles money line (+155) at William Hill.
Last year, a record $138.4 million was wagered on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. That record is expected to be broken this year, but it will only be a fraction of the estimated $4.76 billion expected to be wagered on the game worldwide.
The Eagles don’t have many injuries heading into the Super Bowl, but a sickness has been spreading throughout the team. Multiple players are battling flu-like symptoms, including Nelson Agholor, who received IV treatment Saturday morning. Several Eagles defenders also missed media availability with illnesses, but there should be no late scratches for Sunday.
Sickness or not, it’s hard betting against Tom Brady. As good as the Eagles defense has been at times, there’s no defense for the most experienced Super Bowl quarterback of this generation. Tom Brady has over 2,000 passing yards in Super Bowls alone, and has thrown at least 50 passes in consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
We’ll take a closer look at the matchups tomorrow, as well as make our official predictions.
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Super Bowl 2018: Odds & Line Movement on Saturday