Controversial NFL Call Shifts $150-$250 Million in Bets
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Sports has always been one of the world's largest industries. Because of its competitive nature and massive popularity, it possesses power that fuels the gambling world. When professional teams take the field or court to prepare for battle, many sports fanatics wager large sums of money to try and win big. However, gamblers may want to stay away from NFL games, at least while the replacement officials are still employed. Their botched touchdown call during Monday Night Football not only cost the Green Bay Packers a win, but also broke the hearts of a lot of gamblers.
It's been reported that an estimated $150-$250 million in NFL bets were shifted after the controversial call was made which ultimately gave the Seattle Seahawks a victory. John Avello, director of race and sportsbook at a Las Vegas hotel, says the call changed the outcome of all bets placed.
"Most of the customers in the sportsbook were not happy with the final call. The shift was 100 percent. After the (Seahawks) score, all bets were reversed," he said.
Those who run online betting operations say the amount of bets that were shifted was even greater than the projected $150-$250 million. Mike Perry, spokesman for an online betting site, says 70-80% of bets were placed on the Packers to win, which was a similar rate to bets placed in Vegas. After they lost, all the money placed on the Packers was immediately shifted and affected those who bet on them to win.
While gamblers were immediately affected by this decision financially, the situation stretched as far as the Super Bowl. Because of the their loss, the Packers' odds to win the Super Bowl were changed from 7-1 on Monday to 9-1 on Tuesday.
source: espn.go.com
