TODAY’S TALKER

Sports books: Brady vs. Belichick likely most heavily bet game of year

Sports books say today’s showdown between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is shaping up to be the most heavily bet on NFL game of the regular season.

Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion, returns to Gillette Stadium for the first time as a member of the visiting team, leading his defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New England Patriots.

And people are falling all over themselves to bet on it.

“We expect this game to be the biggest game of the season,” said FanDuel spokesman Kevin Hennessy. “Tom Brady has always been popular with FanDuel customers. The Patriots were always a popular team for betting, and a lot of that has transferred to the Bucs.”

FanDuel, which is the official odds provider for The Associated Press, says 95% of bets are on Tampa Bay to cover the 7-point spread. Other sports books report similarly lopsided betting action on Brady and the Bucs, and they expect a cascade of cash in the final hour before kickoff tonight.

“It’s safe to say the book will be pulling for the Patriots on Sunday,” said Wyatt Yearout, a spokesman for PointsBet. “It is on track to be the biggest regular-season NFL game ever at PointsBet, and it’s not even close. It is the most heavily bet game by far and we haven’t even entered the weekend yet, when a majority of the action normally comes.”

At BetMGM on Friday, 92% of the money was on Tampa Bay to cover.

Brady played for the Patriots for his first 20 seasons before leaving last year to lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl victory. This is his first against his old team and coach.