Fight bookies all in a lather

– Las Vegas bookmakers are nervously sweating on the outcome of the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor superfight, which has already become the most heavily bet upon fight in the gambling city’s history.

The vast majority of bets placed on this weekend’s bout have been for McGregor (above), the Irish mixed martial arts superstar who is facing Mayweather.

With Mayweather a 2/9 favourite, punters in Las Vegas have gravitated towards McGregor, whose odds have dropped to 5/1 with some bookmakers.

Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill US’s director of trading, said that bets on McGregor were outstripping wagers on Mayweather by a ratio of 17 to 1.

“It’s been insane,” Bogdanovich said. “We’ve got a massive decision on our hands because the McGregor money just keeps pouring in. It’s been fun.”

Bogdanovich said the fight had appealed to casual fans tempted by a big payday if McGregor somehow manages to pull off what would be a monumental upset.

“They’re willing to bet a little to win a lot. They think that if they put up their $100 they get $500 back and that appeals to them,” Bogdanovich said. “We knew it would appeal to them, we just didn’t think it would appeal to that many.”

Bookmakers face seven-figure losses if McGregor defeats Mayweather, with one estimate predicting $48 million losses.

Some of the biggest individual wagers include a punter who placed $300 000 on Mayweather to win. The punter would net $60 000 if the American is victorious, according to William Hill.

Another anonymous bettor placed an $880 000 stake on Mayweather at one casino, a wager that stands to recoup $160 000 if successful, according to reports. – Reuters