The Patriots-Jets game was a nail biter for bettors that ended in celebration for most folks. Contrarian bettors and sportsbooks had other feelings, though.
Missed Opportunity
This game was actually close for quite some time. Those who bet on the Pats expecting a slaughter were probably feeling a bit queasy when they entered the locker rooms at halftime tied 10-10.
However, the Pats would begin to run away with things in the second half, leaving a comeback essentially out of reach towards the end of the game.
Spread bettors, however, were sweating profusely throughout this game. With New England opening at -10 and closing at -13, Pats backers were in big jeopardy of losing their bets when the Jets approached the goal line down 14 with just a couple of minutes remaining.
Jermaine Kearse, who scored earlier in the game, had no such luck when it mattered the most.
He was mad that he couldn't reel in the touchdown, but oddsmakers were undoubtedly 10 times angrier, as that drop resulted in millions of dollars changing hands around the world.
Vegas Files For Chapter Nine
All right, I think the books will end up being okay. Something tells me they'll survive. Nevertheless, they took a brutal beatdown thanks to that drop.
Not only is 97% of the money at the 100+ William Hill sportsbooks on the Pats to cover the 12-point spread vs Jets today, it’s the most bet game today by a 2X margin. pic.twitter.com/OI9U03EQAA
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 25, 2018
According to Darren Rovell, William Hill was absolutely clobbered by this decision. They weren't alone.
Biggest needs for @CaesarsPalace books at this point: "Jets. Jets.
Jets. Jets. Dolphins. Cardinals. Broncos. Jets," per @The_Junkyard.— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) November 25, 2018
Biggest needs for @stationcasinos at this point: "J-E-T-S. Big time. Cards and Raiders, too."
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) November 25, 2018
Biggest needs for @SuperBookUSA at this point: "J-E-T-S. Jets, Jets, Jets.
and Raiders, 49ers, Browns and Cardinals."
per @golfodds.
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) November 25, 2018
Every shop on the strip desperately needed Kearse to make that catch. At least he's made some new friends among public bettors…
The sportsbooks that contribute to our proprietary betting percentages also felt the pain. Eighty-two percent of bets came in on the Pats, which ties the season-high mark with the Chiefs (-7.5) at the Browns in Week 9 per our Bet Labs data.
About two thirds of the money from our contributors was on the Pats and the game was the second most heavily bet in terms of ticket count on the early slate, a hair behind Giants-Eagles.
Though the Patriots are seemingly near to the end of an era, their cover shouldn't shock too many folks. Since 2003, they've covered more than 75% of the time following a straight up loss.
