Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Win a Loss for Las Vegas Sportsbooks

Posted on: February 5, 2018, 12:00h. 

Last updated on: February 5, 2018, 12:09h.

Casino.org Staff Writer Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming.

The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions for the first time in franchise history. But the Birds’ 41-33 upset of the defending champion New England Patriots was a worst-case scenario for many Las Vegas sportsbooks.

Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LII
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is taking the Vince Lombardi Trophy home to the City of Brotherly Love. (Image: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

As the 2018 Super Bowl kicked off in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the consensus line had the Patriots spotting the Eagles 4.5 points. The underdogs printed the most ticket slips, and the bulk of the cash was on Philadelphia, too.

ESPN gambling writer David Purdum was out and about visiting Las Vegas sportsbooks on Sunday, and reported that multiple casinos were rooting for the Patriots. They included MGM properties, CG Technology and William Hill locations, Station Casinos, South Point, and Stratosphere.

The Westgate SuperBook and Caesars Palace, two sportsbooks that were only spotting the Eagles four points for most of the last two weeks, and subsequently attracted more New England money, were two exceptions. Both sites reported small wins on Super Bowl LII.

The Super Bowl was one for the record books, as the game featured the most total yards (1,151) of any game in NFL history, regular season or the playoffs.

Betting Results

The Super Bowl had hundreds of betting lines, with everything from the outcome of the game to halftime performer Justin Timberlake’s first song (“Filthy” +165 won).

A prop bet that typically receives plenty of action is the result of the coin flip. Caesars Palace said it took about $100,000 on the outcome, with more than 56 percent of the money on heads. Bettors won, as heads came up.

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles had the shortest odds of any Philadelphia player winning the Super Bowl MVP award at 3-1. Philly wide receiver Alshon Jeffery scored the first touchdown on odds of 8-1.

Both Foles and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady easily soared past their over/under for total passing yards (242.5, 289.5, respectively).

As for non-game action, Timberlake didn’t welcome special guest Janet Jackson, his 2004 “Nipplegate” wardrobe malfunction co-star, to the stage. The odds of that happening were being offered at 10-3.

And the always-entertaining Animal Planet Puppy Bowl, the favorites Team Fluff (-145) took home the Lombarky Trophy after winning against Team Ruff (+105).

Looking Ahead

As the Philadelphia Eagles keep the celebration going this Monday morning, Las Vegas is already taking futures on next year. And despite their loss just hours ago, the Patriots are opening, thanks largely to Brady saying he will most likely return for another year, as the favorites.

The SuperBook has the Patriots to win Super Bowl LIII at 5-1, which will be played on February 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. New England is followed by the champion Eagles (6-1), Pittsburgh Steelers (8-1), and Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, both at 12-1.

As for the longshots, no team has been more consistently bad than the Cleveland Browns. The team that went 0-16 last year opens at 100-1. The Chicago Bears and New York Jets share those odds.