Yahoo Finance Super Bowl LV betting: Buccaneers made many bettors happy with dominant win over the Chiefs
Many big bets cashed on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some that were bought all the way back in the offseason.
The three biggest bets on Super Bowl LV as of Sunday morning at BetMGM were all on the Buccaneers. There was a $2.3 million wager to win $2 million on the Buccaneers +3.5, $1 million to win $1.35 million on the Bucs moneyline at +135 and a $345,000 bet to win $300,000 on the Buccaneers +3.5.
For those bettors and many others, it was a happy Super Bowl Sunday.
The Buccaneers dominated the favored Kansas City Chiefs, with their defense controlling Patrick Mahomes and never trailing after scoring the first touchdown late in the first quarter. A Leonard Fournette touchdown early in the third quarter gave the Bucs a 28-9 lead and it seemed pretty clear then that the Bucs were on their way to a win.
And a lot of bettors knew they were going to cash tickets, including many who took the Buccaneers to win it all shortly after they signed Tom Brady.
Buccaneers were a liability for BetMGM
BetMGM had enough money on the Buccaneers that it moved the line from 3.5 to 3 on Friday. Then there was the problem of future bets.
BetMGM had twice as much liability on the Buccaneers as it did on the Chiefs. The Buccaneers opened at 65-to-1, then went to 16-to-1 after signing Brady. In the Super Bowl futures market, 9% of the tickets and 11% of the handle was on Tampa Bay. Going into the playoffs the worst possible outcome for BetMGM, in terms of Super Bowl futures, was the Bucs winning it all. Tampa Bay then won three straight road games and beat the Chiefs, winning straight up as an underdog in their final three games.
The under of 55.5 hit as well, in an unexpected way. The Chiefs offense hasn’t been shut down since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback, but was held out of the end zone. Two fourth-down defensive stops near the goal line, including one by the Chiefs with the Bucs at the 1-yard line, helped under bettors as well.
Rob Gronkowski also pays off for bettors
Rob Gronkowski’s big day was a boon for anyone backing him. He scored the first touchdown of the game, cashing that prop at 18-to-1. The first-to-score prop was the most popular at BetMGM. In the market of “wincast” props — which combine a player’s stats with the result of the game — Gronkowski to score and the Bucs to win was the most popular bet.
Brady was +190 to win Super Bowl MVP. Leonard Fournette and Gronkowski had good arguments, and they had huge odds to win MVP before the game kicked off. Fournette was +2500 and Gronkowski was +5000. But Brady was a pretty easy pick after his three-touchdown game.
Anyone who bet practically any prop involving the over for Chiefs offensive players came up empty. Mahomes’ over/under for passing yards was 329.5 and didn’t come close. Any bets on Chiefs players scoring touchdowns came up empty. It seemed unfathomable that Kansas City would be held down like it was, and anyone who bet on the Chiefs or props involving their offense was disappointed.
The Buccaneers rolled to an easy win. It was a surprisingly easy night for the many bettors who kept taking them to beat the Chiefs.
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