Even Super Bowl LIII isn’t Enough to Attract Massive Betting on Crypto Gambling Platform Augur
LA Rams fans had better hope their backup quarterback stops using the Tesla Autopilot feature. | Source: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Super Bowl LIII happens today. One of the biggest sporting events of the year in the world, the game features the New England Patriots (for the 11th time) and the Los Angeles Rams, a franchise which recently moved to the City of Angels from St. Louis. CBS reports that early betting at first favored the Rams, but overall the money appears to be on the Patriots.
“On the betting market, the Rams surprisingly opened as one-point favorites on Championship Sunday before sharp money streamed in on the Patriots, making them favorites almost immediately after the opening line was posted. By early last week, the Patriots were up to 2.5-point favorites, where the line has mostly stayed at sportsbooks, though Rams +3 and Patriots -2 has been available in certain spots at times as well.”
Augur’s Crypto Platform Not Attracting Much of the > $100-million Super Bowl Market
Several Augur predictions markets have been launched in regards to Super Bowl LIII, and none of them has gotten over $20,000 in interest.
The Super Bowl is one of the most gambled events of the sporting year. Last year’s Super Bowl LII brought Las Vegas alone more than $150 million. The sportsbooks there didn’t make as much they were hoping, however, with a 0.7% return.
The most active Augur market questions whether the Patriots will win. Effectively, a “no” is a bet on the Los Angeles Rams.
At press time, 55% of participants in the above crypto betting market believe the Patriots will win the championship game.
Centralized Bitcoin Sportsbooks
At CloudBet, one of the largest Bitcoin sports books, odds on the game were rather close to even between the two teams, meaning bookmakers are very unsure of how things will go. However, on the money line, the Patriots were overwhelmingly favored.
Similarly, at SportsBet.io, the most lucrative market would be to bet on the Patriots to lose by more than 8 points.
CCN.com asked SportsBet for the amount of money bet on today’s major game, but they opted not to provide any data.
Will the Patriots Win Super Bowl LIII?
The Sporting News and most of the gambling odds out there predict that the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl today.
However, let’s be real. Tom Brady is getting old. The idea of the Patriots winning the Super Bowl is getting old, even to a native New Englander like this reporter. The odds of an upset are probably not reflected in the money-where-your-mouth-is pre-game markets. Odds could shift incredibly the opposite direction if the Rams open up with a strong offense.
The Rams had an amazing season. They won two more games than the Patriots. The Patriots only beat the Rams by three points in their last Super Bowl match-up in 2001. Sports experts believe the Rams’ prospects are pretty good, in fact. They have a stronger line-up, according to CBS :
“Overall, the Rams hold the edge over the Patriots in star rating among starters at 3.36-2.73. Will it matter come Sunday? That remains to be seen. Either way, it’s interesting to see the differences in the two rosters as these players progressed through the ranks.”
Safest Bets on the Super Bowl
For a veteran crypto gambler, betting on either team in this game is probably a bad call. The Rams have a lot of incentive to take the crown. The Patriots have a lot of liabilities in their line-up, including ancient Tom Brady. Therefore, the most interesting bets are probably on the outcome in terms of scores. SportsBet.io is offering better than 2x odds on some high outcomes.
Personally, this reporter decided to go that route, betting the first quarter will have more than 13.5 points and the whole game will go over LII. How about you, reader?
Featured Image from Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
