Kevin LaRose knows the longshot odds on parlays, but he still pounds away. Come college basketball season, LaRose sits with his computer for an hour or two and goes through what he wants to do, mixing spreads and moneylines on up to an insane 25 games.
“It’s where I have the most fun,” said the 64-year-old from New Jersey.
Unlike most, LaRose says he’s well into the black in his college basketball parlays thanks to some hits he said he had on bookies before gambling was legalized in the state.
“I don’t throw a ton of money on them, but every once a while, I hit big,” LaRose said, recalling the time he won $100,000. “To his credit, the guy paid me and then said I was done.”
LaRose got national attention when, on Dec. 11, his 25-leg college basketball parlay became the 112th 25-leg parlay to ever hit in Caesars Sportsbook history. His $25 bet paid $237,553.11.
The previous high for a 25-leg parlay to hit? $3,400.
Why? Because LaRose, unlike most, didn’t just have huge favorite moneylines.
Here are the 25 bets that led him to six-figure glory:
| Game | Odds |
|---|---|
| UCLA over Marquette | -300 |
| Missouri State over Oral Roberts | -400 |
| Utah over Manhattan | -1700 |
| Wichita State over Norfolk State | -1700 |
| UIC over Central Michigan | -250 |
| Richmond over Toledo | -475 |
| UNC over Elon | -2800 |
| SLU over Boston College | -350 |
| Butler over EIU | -2800 |
| LSU over GT | -360 |
| UTA over Lamar | -340 |
| Wake over SCUP | -4500 |
| Illinois State over Chicago State | -475 |
| Memphis over Houston | -340 |
| LAC over Orlando | -360 |
| USU over SNO | -20 (-110) |
| Minnesota vs. Michigan | +13.5 (-110) |
| Tennessee over UNCG | -21 (-110) |
| Arizona over Illinois | -2.5 (-110) |
| SMC over UCSB | -9 (-110) |
| UNLV over Hartford | -10.5 (-110) |
| Pepperdine over ALST | -14.5 (-110) |
| Kansas over Missouri | -23 (-110) |
| UTSA vs. SHSU | +6.5 (-110) |
| Wyoming over UVU | -8 (-110) |
LaRose throws money on parlays so often that he doesn’t really pay attention until he’s really close. After coming back from the bar that night, LaRose’s wife, Ann Marie, hooked his computer up to the television and they watched the score updates coming in for his last game: Wyoming (-8) vs. Utah Valley.
An early second half run put the Cowboys down 49-46 with 9 minutes and 43 seconds to go, and LaRose was bracing for a brutal loss. But a 17-3 Wyoming run over the next six minutes gave him some breathing room and an eventual 12-point win to give him the 25 of 25 parlay.
“I had to wake up early in the morning, but my wife and I opened a good bottle of Italian wine and stayed up together until 4 in the morning,” said LaRose, who owns a small construction company.
He says he’ll use the money to pay off some debt, keep some in his Caesars account and buy all his nephews the Oculus.
Said LaRose: “I might be 64, but I’m a kid at heart. I’m buying one for myself too.”
