In the offseason, many people did not believe the Atlanta Falcons could win the Super Bowl, as some Las Vegas sports books lengthened their Super Bowl odds from 40-1 to 100-1 in an attempt to pump up some action.
It didn’t help. People still didn’t believe.
When the 2016-17 NFL season kicked off in September, sports book operator CG Technology had taken more bets on the Cleveland Browns to win the Super Bowl than it had on the Atlanta Falcons.
Fast forward four months later, the sports books are quiet pleased with their position heading into Super Bowl LI.
The Falcons opened up as 3-points underdogs against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI:
“We took a $5,000 bet at 40-1 on the Falcons to win the Super Bowl,” CG Technology vice president Jason Simbal said. The ticket would net $200,000. “And we still win almost a million on the Falcons. That’s how few people bet them.”
The Patriots were the consensus Super Bowl favorites throughout the season and also one of the most popular bets. In September, more money had been bet on New England to win the Super Bowl than any other team at William Hill’s Nevada sportsbook. But the books kept the Patriots’ odds low enough that they’ll still turn a significant profit even if New England wins.
