Here are 5 Super Bowls when bettors beat sportsbooks
Nevada sportsbooks have lost money on only two Super Bowls since the state started tracking them in 1991 — Giants-Patriots in 2008 and 49ers-Chargers in 1995.
But the books suffered their worst Super Bowl loss ever in 1979, when Steelers and Cowboys bettors beat them out of an estimated $3 million — which equates to more than $10 million today — on a day dubbed “Black Sunday” by Las Vegas bookmakers.
The house almost always wins. But here’s a look at the best five Super Bowls for bettors:
5. Patriots (-3) 34, Falcons 28 (OT), Super Bowl LI, 2017
The books won overall on the only Super Bowl to go to overtime. But New England’s historic comeback from a 28-3 third-quarter deficit to cover and push the game over the total of 57 dealt a massive blow to the books.
“It probably cost each book well over seven figures,” said Ed Salmons, Westgate vice president of risk. “Every Patriots’ Super Bowl is a bad reminder of bad things.
“Even when we finally beat them with the Eagles’ (41-33 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII in 2018), the game was so ridiculously high scoring that we got killed on props that day.”
William Hill reported a six-figure loss on the Patriots-Falcons game, as it cashed 159 in-play money-line wagers of at least 10-1 on New England.
4. 49ers (-18½) 49, Chargers 26, Super Bowl XXIX, 1995
In the books’ first Super Bowl loss tracked by the state, bettors won $397,000 when San Francisco crushed San Diego 49-26 as 18½-point favorites to cover the largest point spread in Super Bowl history. The game also flew over the total of 53½, as countless bettors cashed Niners-and-over parlays.
“That was kind of the last Super Bowl before Vegas became inundated with all of these so-called wiseguys,” Salmons said.
3. Patriots (Pick) 28, Seahawks 24, Super Bowl XLIX, 2015
Seattle coach Pete Carroll’s ill-fated decision to throw the ball from New England’s 1-yard line in the final seconds resulted in a multimillion dollar swing at the books in the bettors’ favor.
Rather than hand the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch, who had 102 yards rushing, Carroll opted for a Russell Wilson pass that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler.
“That probably cost us $500,000 that day,” Salmons said. “All Seattle had to do was run. That was such a killer. Everybody was betting the Patriots in that game.”
Wynn Las Vegas reported a $2 million swing on the play, which reverberated through every book.
2. Giants 17, Patriots (-12) 14, Super Bowl XLII, 2008
Bettors beat the books out of an official state record $2.57 million when the Giants stunned the Patriots as 12-point underdogs to end New England’s bid for a perfect season.
As is usually the case in the Super Bowl, bettors loaded up on the underdog on the money line and cashed in when Eli Manning threw a go-ahead 13-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left.
“That was one I’ll never forget,” said CG Technology oddsmaker Dave Sharapan, who worked for the Golden Nugget at the time. “I was in the book, and it felt like we didn’t win a single bet. I think we cashed tickets until Wednesday.
“We had to get fills Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from the cage because we kept running out of the starting bank money because of the money line.”
1. Steelers 35, Cowboys 31, Super Bowl XIII, 1979
Two years after the movie “Black Sunday” hit theaters in 1977, another Super Bowl disaster played out in Las Vegas, where books were buried by bettors who middled the Cowboys-Steelers showdown.
Pittsburgh opened as a 2½-point favorite over Dallas, and the line closed at 4½. It landed on 4, and virtually every bettor who had action on it won.
“That game was the biggest losing Sunday for the Super Bowl that ever was,” South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro told the Review-Journal in 2017. “That was the first big loss I took as a young aspiring bookmaker with black hair who could stay out late at night. Those days are gone.”
Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, the inspiration for Robert DeNiro’s character in the movie “Casino,” ran a promotion at the Stardust offering bettors the chance to lay 3½ points with the Steelers and take 4½ points with the Cowboys. When it was over, the line of bettors cashing tickets reportedly stretched from the Stardust to down the Strip.
After Dallas tight end Jackie Smith dropped a sure touchdown catch in the third quarter, Pittsburgh scored two TDs in 19 seconds in the fourth to go ahead 35-17.
But Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw two TD passes in the final 2:27 for the backdoor middle. After his 7-yard strike to Billy Joe DuPree cut the deficit to 35-24, Dallas recovered an onside kick. Staubach then hit Butch Johnson for a 4-yard TD with 22 seconds left, and bettors everywhere rejoiced.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.