Gambling Twitter will be loaded with people throwing around the term "degenerate" in relation to betting on the Pro Bowl, but if you're one of the many who will, you're not alone! According to our number of bets statistic, last year's Pro Bowl garnered more individual wagers than all but three NBA games so far this season. In addition, Kansas-Kentucky is the only college basketball matchup this season to attract more action than the 2017 Pro Bowl as well.
Since most of us are going to bet this game despite what we tell our followers, friends and significant others, I looked back at previous Pro Bowls in order to pinpoint the smartest way for bettors to approach this event.
To start, I need to include a disclaimer that a minuscule sample size for an exhibition event makes the task of pinpointing which team has an "edge" basically impossible.
However, thanks to Bet Labs, there are a handful of trends bettors should know before joining the Pro Bowl Degenerate Club.
Spread
When it comes to the Pro Bowl, underdogs rule. Since 2004, dogs are 11-3 (78.6%) ATS for a profit of 7.6 units while covering by an average of 6.54 points.
Moneyline
With dogs performing so well against the spread, it's natural that they've also been profitable on the moneyline with an 8-5 record for +6.8 units.
Total
While the Pro Bowl has a reputation of endless scoring with no defense, three of the last four events have finished under the total. In fact, in the 14 games archived in our database, totals are split with seven games going under and the other seven going over.
At the time of publication, the NFC is a 3-point favorite and the total is 66.5 at Bookmaker.eu, down from an opener of 71.
Photo via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
