Sportsbooks Win After Zaccharie Risacher, Not Bronny James Picked No. 1 Overall

Sportsbooks have made out like bandits after Zaccharie Risacher, not Bronny James was picked No. 1 overall by the Hawks.

While no one in the actual basketball world expected James to go No. 1 overall, he was by far the largest liability at BetMGM to be picked by the Hawks on Wednesday night.

That means sportsbooks would have stood to lose the most money had James went No. 1. Risacher did end up with the most handle in the marketplace, but that was primarily populated by wagers made at -200 to -500 odds, which is where he closed on Wednesday night.

It was a curious development dominanted by retail bettors who wanted to put in a lottery ticket at +20000 to +30000 odds. A $100 wager would have paid out up to $30,000 had Bronny gone No. 1.

For reference, his over/under on draft pick is 54.5. There are 60 picks in the NBA Draft. Some prognosticators don't even consider him a serious NBA prospect.

And yet, plenty across the betting landscape wanted their shot at this longshot, one with the pedigree but perhaps less of the talent.

Meanwhile, Risacher had opened as long as +425 to go No. 1 overall before continually slipping along the process. You could've nabbed him at +275 in May. Earlier this week, he was at -200.

And as aforementioned, the 2024 EuroCup Rising Star and LNB Élite Best Young Player closed the market hovering around -500 after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he was the prospect the Hawks were eying.