Bettor turns up heat on Caesars, settles for $680K
College football underdogs deliver
A Caesars Sportsbook bettor turned $10,000 into $680,000 on Saturday after hitting a two-team college football money-line parlay.
The unidentified bettor from New York parlayed Georgia Tech at +1,050 with Florida International at +500.
BETTING NOTEBOOK
Georgia Tech stunned Pittsburgh 26-21 as a 21½-point underdog. The Yellow Jackets turned three second-half turnovers by the Panthers into 13 points to take a 19-7 lead and held on for the upset.
The gambler didn’t have to sweat the other leg of the parlay. Florida International, a 15-point underdog, never trailed in a 21-7 victory over New Mexico State.
On Sunday afternoon, the bettor made Caesars bookmakers sweat a little after he placed a $9,000 four-team, money-line parlay to win $903,000.
“He felt like the sweat wasn’t enough for us (Saturday), so he decided to pour more on,” Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said. “It’s like being in the sauna when they pour more coal on.”
The gambler hit the first two legs of the parlay on Colorado (+215) and Oakland (+215) in the majors. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 4-1 and the Athletics beat the Mariners 10-3.
He needed the Patriots (+360) to upset the Packers and the Broncos (+122) to beat the Raiders to cash the ticket and push his weekend winnings to $1.58 million.
The book was in position to kill the parlay and an avalanche of bets on the Raiders -2½ when Russell Wilson scored a touchdown for Denver with 7:16 left to cut its deficit to 25-23.
“A two-point win would’ve been great,” Mucklow said.
Caesars had to settle for killing the parlay as it suffered an almost seven-figure loss on the Raiders, who answered with a TD drive to seal their 32-23 win.
New England, a 9½-point underdog, led Green Bay 24-17 in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field before the Packers tied it and pulled out a 27-24 win in overtime.
A lot to win a little
A bettor at Caesars Palace wagered $575,000 to win $12,777.80 on Southern California to beat Arizona State at -4,500 on the money line.
The Trojans beat the Sun Devils 42-25. But they made the bettor sweat a bit before he could cash the ticket. USC, a 24½-point favorite, led 2117 at halftime and was still clinging to that lead late in the third quarter before breaking it open.
A BETMGM bettor wagered $85,000 to win $3,400 on Brigham Young to beat Utah State at -2,500 on the money line.
The Cougars beat the Aggies 38-26 to cash the ticket. But Utah State led 7-0 and 1714 and the game was tied at 17-all at halftime. BYU, a 26-point favorite, led only 2420 midway through the third quarter before pulling away.
Six-figure flurry
A BETMGM bettor in Las Vegas who went 4-0 on $250,000 straight bets on the NFL two weeks ago returned in a very big way over the weekend.
The bettor made a whopping 21 six-figure straight bets on college football and the NFL, according to MGM Resorts director of trading Lamarr Mitchell.
Mitchell declined to divulge all of the wagers, but shared the six largest bets:
■ $330,000 on Alabama -17 (Won $300,000, beat Arkansas 49-26)
■ $220,000 on UCLA +3 (Won $200,000, beat Washington 40-32)
■ $220,000 on Air Force -14 (Lost, beat Navy 13-10)
■ $220,000 on Michigan State +8½ (Lost, 27-13 loss to Maryland)
■ $220,000 on Lions -4 (Lost, 48-45 loss to Seahawks)
■ $220,000 on Browns -1 (Lost, 23-20 loss to Falcons)
Despite losing $380,000 on the six biggest bets, Mitchell said the bettor emerged a winner on the weekend overall.
“He had a really good day with us (Saturday). He beat us pretty good,” Mitchell said. “But we beat him (Sunday).”