NFL Crowds, Coaches Impact Vegas Sportsbooks
Published January 14, 2011 by OCR Editor
Los Angeles Times report shows how many factors impact betting patterns.
Las Vegas sports books have been the winners so far in an NFL season full of loud-mouth coaches and upset victories, the Los Angeles Times has reported in a fascinating article on what impacts betting trends.
Sports Betting on the RiseAccording to the report, the MGM Resorts race and sports book has taken in a 10% increase in profits from NFL betting this season, with 20% more traffic, and others sports books have recorded similar numbers.
While the increased traffic can be attributed to the economic recovery, the win for Vegas sports books was highlighted by surprise teams like the Atlanta Falcons, who began the season as 40/1 longshots, to win the Super Bowl, and didn't attract enough attention from bettors before their meteoric rise to become the number one team in the NFC.
On the flip side, the big mouth of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan did do some damage to the bookmakers. Ryan's outspokenness about his team saw the Jets firm from a season-opening 20/1 to a near favorite for the title, and along the way bettors have collected plenty on some of the Jets' surprising victories.
Intensity IncreasesOverall, Vegas bookmakers are still waiting on the outcomes of the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, when most of the money is spent on betting, to decide whether this season has been a success. And even there, other factors come into play, as bigger crowds can create more reckless betting patterns.
