The Super Bowl represents the biggest annual event in the sports betting world, and the 2017 edition is no different. Handicappers from all over the world will descend on the game between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, with the ability to spray the board with extremely weird prop bets to the other extreme of run-of-the-mill wagers on who will win the game on the field. To that end, some of the wealthiest handicappers will undoubtedly weigh in before game time, and on Friday, word broke that a seven-figure bet was placed… on the underdog Falcons.
Las Vegas sportsbook operator @CGTechnology_ took a $1 million bet on the Atlanta Falcons +3 this afternoon, per @jsimbal.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) February 4, 2017
It isn’t wildly uncommon that a $1 million wager would be placed on the Super Bowl, especially given the estimated $4.7 billion handle on the single event. With that said, this particular bet is the largest being reported anywhere on the Las Vegas strip as of Friday evening, and it is significantly larger than the highest number associated with the favorites from New England.
.@MGMRaceSports took a $485,000 bet on the Patriots -3 today. "We're back to about 60 percent Pats money," says vice president Jay Rood.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) February 4, 2017
At this point, there is no indication as to whether the million-dollar wager comes from a professional in the industry or simply a (very) wealthy observer in a more casual sense. Either way, at least one person is getting very aggressive on the outcome of the biggest game in professional football on Sunday, and they will be rooting hard for Matt Ryan and company.
