Betting buzz: Men’s Final Four features tightest spreads on record

“Coming into the season, Wilson and Fields were seen as largely interchangeable, with Wilson viewed as slightly more valuable,” a trading spokesperson for ESPN BET told ESPN. “Overall, there wasn’t a large adjustment given the outlook for the Steelers today and the amount of variables for both teams coming into the week.” Tomlin turned to Justin Fields for the start, which shifted the line on the Steelers from +3.5 to +4 or +4.5, depending on the sportsbook.

This implies both sides of the spread have a relatively equal chance of hitting. The public also fared well on the Thursday and Friday standalone games. The Kansas City Chiefs covered the spread in a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, and the Philadelphia Eagles covered in a win over the Green Bay Packers on Friday. Yes, at ESPN BET, 72.7% of bets and 71.6% of the total amount wagered were on the Cowboys to cover the spread as small underdogs. Dak Prescott followed up his signing of a reported $240 million contract extension by leading the Cowboys to a win over the Cleveland Browns.

Betting Offers 2026

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• Barstool Founder Dave Portnoy just won the biggest bet of his life.
• In an astonishing victory, now known as the magnificent seven, Frankie Dettori surprised everyone, and Farren Yeats got a pay-off of £550,000.
• He ended up losing all of his winnings right there in Monte Carlo.
• There was no indication that Austin bet on NFL games as a coach, but bet on other sports in violation of the league’s policy.
• Create a league and customize league size, scoring and rules to play in the league you want to play in.
• Sometimes, there will be small discrepancies (-115, -105) or (-120, +100), but the odds are usually around -110.
• Byron went from seventh to first on the last lap thanks to a crash at the front of the field that he somehow escaped.
• The Chiefs have reached the Super Bowl in five of the past six seasons, taking home the Lombardi Trophy three times during that stretch.
• The Dolphins wide receiver went on to put up one of Sunday’s best performances, much to the benefit of many bettors.
• Kenya’s premier sports betting platform offering the best odds, live betting, casino games, and exciting promotions.
• Following his astonishing winning streak, Kerry started splashing his money around Vegas, going so far as to tip his head waiter and waitress in the vicinity of $1 million.
• The following examples show just how well taking risks can pay off.

Joey Feazel, sports trader for Caesars Sportsbook, said he believes the adjustment to the line was an overreaction and adds, “I expect it to come back down toward the Packers by game time.” However, this was before Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love went down with a knee injury late against the Eagles in Week 1. When the line was reposted, with Love ruled out with a sprained MCL and backup Malik Willis expected to start, the Colts were 3-point favorites. In the hours before kickoff, Hill was ESPN BET’s most bet player to score a touchdown and the second-most bet for all other props at over 80 receiving yards, trailing only Trevor Lawrence’s over 200 passing yards. At BetMGM, Hill garnered the second-most tickets to score a touchdown at -125 odds. Forty-five contestants failed to submit their Week 1 selection by the deadline.

Gloria McKenzie – wins $590.5 million

When Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament, Adducci got a huge pay-off of $1.2 million. The history of betting has been made, making it the biggest individual payout on a futures bet. One of the best bets in Mike Futter’s betting career was when he decided to wager on his own horse – Monty’s Pass. When Monty’s Pass won the race, Futter received £348,000 as his owner and an extra £400,000 for his successful bet.

t 90-degree day for NYC, Philly and DC as severe weather hits Midwest and Plains

So, who could conceivably knock them off for college basketball’s ultimate prize? One-seeds UCLA (+550), Texas (+700) or South Carolina (+800) are the most likely candidates, none of whom have seen any odds movement since Selection Sunday. LSU notably lengthened from 14-1 to 16-1 over that time period, while Vanderbilt (50-1), Duke (75-1) and Michigan (80-1) all held pat and round out the teams better than 100-1.

Warriors vs. Clippers prediction: NBA Play-In Game pick, odds, best bet

The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and CBS Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. This site contains commercial content and CBS Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site. — All teams are guaranteed three matches in the group stage of the tournament.

.527: Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s straight-up record as an underdog

Carlos Mendoza’s struggling group has opened on prediction markets as big underdogs, coming in at +190 on Polymarket as of Tuesday evening. You can find all of Monday’s women’s tournament action on ESPN and ESPN2 starting at noon ET. Chances are you’re not christienter, and your bracket lost much earlier and many more times. But just because your bracket was busted by Texas (or Iowa, or High Point, or VCU) doesn’t mean the fun has to stop.

Point spread betting: What it is, how to bet and best strategies

Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon on May 4, 2023, after he was found to be connected with betting activity in Ohio concerning an LSU-Alabama game, two people briefed on the investigation previously said. Jalen Hurts had the most money bet on him at +375 to win Super Bowl MVP and had the second-most tickets wagered on him. Hurts passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one on a tush push. Following Daynard’s tobacco playbook, in December they filed the first in what they say will be a series of lawsuits… suing DraftKings in Massachusetts for deceptive advertising… The group is also lobbying Congress to enact federal regulations. They say the current mishmash of state-by-state policies—just isn’t working.

Harford County residents say no to potential data center in their community

Three of the past four odds-on national title favorites coming into the tournament ultimately failed to win it all, which includes the last two occasions that the Huskies were in this position. Six underdogs pulled outright upsets in the opening round, the fewest since 2007. No. 12 seed High Point earned the largest upset, stunning 5-seed Wisconsin as a 10.5-point underdog. None of the other five favorites that lost Thursday — Ohio State, North Carolina, Saint Mary’s, Georgia and BYU — were favored by more than three points.

Heading into the Wild Card game, the Eagles were also missing leading wide receiver A.J. Brown, who led the team with 106 receptions, 1,456 receiving yards and 158 targets. Brown’s seven receiving touchdowns were tied for the lead on the team. The collapse by the Eagles heading into the postseason could be the reason for the bet. The Eagles fan bet on their favorite team to lose the opening round of the NFL Playoffs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead of accepting her full prize in 30 monthly instalments, Gloria decided to cash in her prize immediately, so she received only half of the money (still more than enough for any single person).

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on paid administrative leave on July 3 as a result of an MLB investigation, multiple sources previously said. The league is investigating whether Ortiz pre-determined the outcome of certain pitches, which were flagged due to unusual betting patterns. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, and The Athletic confirmed.

• Hill made headlines before any games kicked off Sunday when he was detained by police and cited with reckless driving, per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
• That’s why we recommend spreading out your bets if you’re looking to cash in on the Feb. 15 race.
• “We got beat on both pregame and live, though most of the damage was on the pregame money line and spread. We lost on everything for the game. Ouch.”
• The public also fared well on the Thursday and Friday standalone games.
• Teams tend to play better and win more at home, which means a home underdog could offer value.
• The Huskies not only won all six games but also covered each one, with the Final Four win over Alabama as 10-point favorites being their biggest threat not to cover.
• Recently, he had paired up with Dick Daynard, a law professor at Northeastern University and architect of the first major lawsuits against the big tobacco companies.
• Some of those betting could back top underdogs and see huge payouts like one that happened on Friday night.
• The history of betting has been made, making it the biggest individual payout on a futures bet.
• That would be Haiti and Curacao, both currently at +250000, meaning a $100 bet on either of those nations would return $250,000 if they were to win the World Cup.
• The chalk will be the main topic of conversation as the men’s NCAA basketball tournament gets underway.
• Even one incorrect leg sinks the entire bet, but point spreads can be parlayed.

Back in 1998, Richard Hopkins and his son went go-kart racing just for fun, and Richard couldn’t help but notice Lewis Hamilton driving around the course. Richard was so impressed with Hamilton’s skills that he went on to spend several hundred pounds betting on him. The punters placed a high-risk bet on horse racing known as a superfecta. For the uninitiated, a superfecta is a type of wager where you’re to predict the first four horses that’ll finish the race in the exact order that they come in.

Point spread betting: What it is, how to bet and best strategies in 2026

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• It didn’t take him long to win his money back and then some, as he got to take home $560,000 (around £426,000).
• Prior to the last two years, at least one team from a non-power conference had reached the Sweet 16 in every tournament in the modern era.
• The anonymous bettor only paid the $5 participation fee at one of the top betting sites William Hill sportsbook but successfully took home $305,375 after correctly selecting 12 winners in one weekend.
• Chances are you’re not christienter, and your bracket lost much earlier and many more times.
• The buy-in for each betting event ranges from $0 to $1 each, reflecting a 0% to 100% chance of what users think could happen.
• He pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.
• During the Super Bowl in 2010, he bet on the New Orleans Saints, the underdogs, beating the Indianapolis Colts.
• He got not one, but two of the biggest sports betting wins in a matter of weeks.
• A few of the players bet that Erick would never be able to play four straight lines of golf in a single day while carrying his own clubs, shooting below 100, and taking on the extreme Las Vegas summer heat.

There’s no better feeling than getting a massive return on your investment, and one Las Vegas resident knows that for sure. The anonymous bettor only paid the $5 participation fee at one of the top betting sites William Hill sportsbook but successfully took home $305,375 after correctly selecting 12 winners in one weekend. Among the bettor’s choices were the Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors, two NBA winners. Even the biggest Leicester City fans didn’t have much confidence in the team winning the Premier League back in 2015.

Dave happily collected his $200,000 (approximately £150,000) and went on to have an even better November later on (which we’ll discuss in a moment). Every grandparent dreams of seeing their grandchildren succeed and make a name for themselves, and Peter Edwardson was no different. He dreamed of his 1-year-old grandson becoming a professional football player one day and representing Wales, and he even placed a £50 bet on it. The estimates also would depend on Texas setting taxes on gambling that would be among the highest in the nation, as well as wagers generating record overall gambling revenue. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, most states tax sports gambling at between 5% and 20%.

Anonymous gambler – wins €18.9 million (about $22.6 million)

Two perfect brackets emerged 40-0 after Saturday’s tournament action, from users Mini-me-2448 and christienter, who then had the same picks for Sunday’s first two games. After wins by Purdue and Iowa State, both brackets reached 42-0, matching the previous ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge record. But only one could break the record, as the two users had opposite picks in the St. John’s-Kansas matchup. St. John’s buzzer-beating layup gave christienter the win and the ESPN record at 43-0 to start the tournament.

New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel

For example, DraftKings Sportsbook set the point spread for a matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Jets at 7.5. Another item working against the Eagles was the team being the favorite in the game despite being the fifth seed. The Eagles were against the spread during the season according to Covers, which ranked worst of the teams that made the playoffs. Their opponent, the Buccaneers, ranked second overall with an 11-6 against the spread record.

Users’ Choice

It took until the second half, but Hill ultimately delivered for bettors, hauling in an 80-yard TD reception in the third quarter to instantly cash both props. His final receiving yards tally was also enough to cover most alternate lines. “It was significant,” Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading at Caesars Sportsbook, said of the Patriots pulling off the upset. “Obviously, you get the biggest favorite on the board beat straight up in Week 1, that’s a good start for the book.” The jump was easily the biggest of any team in the league and the Padres now have the eighth-best odds in baseball to win it all.

He chose his horses very carefully but didn’t believe much would come out of it. Phil Mickelson, a professional golfer, became quite a fan of the Baltimore Ravens even before they made it big in 2000. Seeing the team’s strength and talent after a good season, Phil made a betting syndicate and placed a $20,000 bet against the odds.

Boys Like Me Need Protection from Sports Betting

But for now, Portnoy can sit back and watch DraftKings pay him a fat check on this sports betting victory, one of many that the sportsbook has been paying him in recent months. Lines can also move due to major player injuries or lineup decisions. For instance, if a star player is ruled out before a game, the spread will likely fluctuate accordingly, with the star’s team becoming either a longer underdog or a shorter favorite. Sportsbooks pegged New England as one of the worst teams in the league entering the season. The over/under on the Patriots’ win total this season was set at 4.5, the lowest of any team. About 90% of the money wagered on New England’s win total was on the under at BetMGM.

Tracking NFL Draft top 30 visits for every NFL team

For this article, though, we’re focusing on the largest reported winning wagers in U.S. sports betting history — all of which have happened since 2018. And wouldn’t you know it, the largest of all comes from just a few months ago from a BetMGM bettor in Ohio who wagered $8 million on the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the 2025 NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers at -700 odds. Last but certainly not least, among the biggest betting wins in history is Gloria McKenzie and her Powerball pay-off. In 2013, 84-year-old Gloria achieved the highest single winning record in Powerball history and took home $590.5 million, beating the odds of 175 million/1.

Back in 1891, Wells broke the bank at Monte Carlo and collected a million Francs (over $500,000 in today’s market) after an 11-hour marathon of roulette. Gerry ended up winning £100,000, and his friends who had the same faith in Rory won £80,000. With millions of people around the world testing their luck daily, someone’s always bound to hit it big. “Certainly, prop bets, depending on how precise they are, lend themselves to more shenanigans than other kinds of bets,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in May.

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Sportsbooks told ESPN that they actually had a winning day Friday, despite the run of favorites. Betting on home underdogs, even with the sportsbooks adjusting lines to account for which team is at home, is generally a profitable idea. Teams tend to play better and win more at home, which means a home underdog could offer value. Of course, there will be exceptions, but most big upsets in college sports happen when the underdog is hosting. Baseball spreads are called run lines and are generally set at 1.5.

• If he had invested $100,000 of his $600,000 initial stake and rolled over every bet ATS, Portnoy would’ve won roughly $4.841 million.
• Additionally, only one double-digit seed has reached the round of 16 in four straight tournaments.
• When the line was reposted, with Love ruled out with a sprained MCL and backup Malik Willis expected to start, the Colts were 3-point favorites.
• Miller told us sportsbooks look at betting patterns to spot problem gamblers.
• When Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament, Adducci got a huge pay-off of $1.2 million.
• So, who could conceivably knock them off for college basketball’s ultimate prize?
• M-Hub Gaming Operations Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), a public regulatory body responsible for the governance of all forms of gaming based in Malta.
• Our Player Safety tools are available to help you maintain control of your betting activity.
• It joined several others taking this action, including U.S. sportsbook giants DraftKings and FanDuel, as well as ESPN BET.
• November of 2015 was an astonishingly lucky month for Dave Oancea, nicknamed Vegas Dave.
• However, it only took John Heywood less than 25 minutes to take the win that most gamblers can only dream of.

Mike Clay’s Super Bowl betting playbook: Game analysis and favorite playsMike Clay

“Everyone’s writing off the Patriots, including us,” Mucklow told ESPN on Sunday. The Chiefs have reached the Super Bowl in five of the past six seasons, taking home the Lombardi Trophy three times during that stretch. The Padres were the biggest winner of the MLB trade deadline in the eyes of oddsmakers. Out of more than 20 million brackets in the Tournament Challenge, none remain perfect.

Examples of point spreads in different sports

And Americans have spent more than a quarter of a trillion dollars sports betting… that’s the GDP of Greece… leagues have cashed in. A 2018 Supreme Court decision opened the door for states to legalize sports betting. The Huskies and Bruins account for over 50% of the national championship handle at BetMGM, but the Gamecocks, with their slightly longer accounts, are actually the sportsbook’s largest ticket holder.

The top two teams from each group are guaranteed to advance, as will the eight best third-place teams. Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel, who stole $22 million from the team, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison on March 12, 2024. Patel pleaded guilty in December 2023 to charges of wire fraud and an illegal monetary transaction.

ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge Second Chance allows you to pick up your bracket from the Sweet 16 onward and pick the remaining 15 games. History was made in the ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge on Sunday, as one user broke the game’s record for the longest undefeated start. The Gamecocks and Huskies have been in this position before, showing -17.5 in this round in 2024 and 2025, and 2021, https://big-bet.org/ respectively.

Not many St. Louis Cardinals fans would have placed $500 on them before the 2011 MLB season, but that’s exactly what this anonymous bettor did. He first placed a $250 wager on the St. Louis Cardinals winning the National League. Then, he placed another $250 wager on the team coming out victorious in the World Series. Eventually, the St. Louis Cardinals came out on top, and the bettor received accumulated winnings of $375,000  (approximately £286, 000).

Padres biggest MLB trade deadline winner after Mason Miller, Ryan O’Hearn additions: Oddsmakers

With a score of for the Detroit Lions, the bettor finished the NFL weekend in 2017 triumphantly and collected $250,000 (approximately £191,000). Who would’ve thought that a tiny little $0.10 bet could turn into thousands of dollars worth of winnings? Certainly not the two anonymous punters from Saratoga Springs who made it happen and got to go home with $76,000.

Can Bijan Robinson be even better in 2026?

He placed a $100 deposit and casually started playing video slots. Before long, he won the jackpot and received a $39.7 million pay-off against the odds of 16.7 million/1. Billy Walters started his gambling career in poker but quickly turned to sports betting. In a short time, he became known for his insane wins and amazing streaks, proving that betting isn’t just a matter of luck but of skill as well.

It didn’t take him long to win his money back and then some, as he got to take home $560,000 (around £426,000). As fate would have it, the bet paid off when his grandson Harry Wilson became a successful footballer at the young age of 16. Whether it was a self-fulfilling prophecy or a stroke of good luck, we’ll never know. In this wholesome story, Gerry Mcllroy won £100,000 (approximately $183,000) after making a moneyline bet of £200 on his son winning the British Open within a decade. At the time, his son was only 15 years old, but Gerry had complete faith in him and displayed his immense power of foresight. But Texas spends $125 billion a year and currently has a budget surplus.

• But, after two hours at the “Golden Chamber”, Beverly was shocked to see that she hit the jackpot of $3.7 million!
• DraftKings opened with the Huskies as 1.5-point underdogs and immediately took action on the Fighting Illini, forcing a move up to 2.5.
• Newly created accounts placed large wagers hours before the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.
• Since 1985, the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Tournament has featured a bracket of at least 64 teams seeded 1 through 16 in four different regions.
• The lack of Connecticut bettors hasn’t stopped the Huskies from racking up substantial action, with 87% of the handle backing their spread for Friday night.
• The company offers many services, thus the punters can find their favorite sports and benefit from different bonuses.
• The Knights didn’t win the Northeast Conference Tournament to secure an automatic qualification for the tournament and shouldn’t have been in the field.
• Mizuhara was ultimately sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to cover sports gambling debts.
• Here’s a look at the field ahead of the first Cup Series race of the season.
• But only one could break the record, as the two users had opposite picks in the St. John’s-Kansas matchup.
• And there have been plenty of seven-figure parlay wins off of smaller wagers, as well.

Unfortunately, though, Nicholas Newlife passed away before he could collect his £101,840 (approximately $186,000) in winnings. The prize, as well as all of Newlife’s belongings, went to Oxfam International – a charitable organization fighting against global poverty. To make the story even more fascinating, this was only the second time Tayla had placed a bet in her entire life.