NFL Draft betting drew a record amount of money at sportsbooks across the U.S. with the three-day event easily the most significant sports betting opportunity since the COVID-19 shutdown.
Several books had NFL Draft props and odds on the board for a month or more, and even put up new props throughout the Thursday-Saturday virtual draft. Oddsmakers in Nevada, New Jersey and beyond said 2020 NFL Draft prop betting – available only via mobile app – went far above and beyond expectations.
NFL Draft betting smashes records
So good was the NFL Draft betting action at PointsBet USA that, even as Thursday’s first round began, handle already massively eclipsed that of the 2019 NFL Draft - the first year states beyond Nevada had the event on the odds board. That trend continued Friday and Saturday, as PointsBet USA continued adding props related to the later rounds.
“Overall handle for the 2020 NFL Draft turned out to be almost 12 times (more) compared to 2019, while bet count was almost 10 times (more),” PointsBet USA director of communications Patrick Eichner said, noting the book had about 250 props.
At William Hill US, interest in New Jersey was massive. And while Nevada didn’t see as dramatic an increase – in part due to state regulations requiring in-person registration for mobile apps – it still saw record handle in its third year offering NFL Draft betting.
“Handle was good. Probably five times more In Nevada and 20 times in New Jersey,” William Hill US director of trading Nick Bogdanovich said, comparing numbers with the 2019 NFL Draft.
Bogdanovich provided some perspective, noting that in Nevada, handle was equivalent to NFL betting on a Thursday night game. But after six weeks of very limited betting, it’s significant to be able to make such a comparison. And bettors got the best of the book.
"It was not a profitable draft," he said. "The players were the victors."
Circa Sports in downtown Las Vegas made a sizable splash in its first foray into NFL Draft betting. Circa sportsbook operations manager Jeff Benson said his shop did six figures of handle.
DraftKings Sportsbook’s Johnny Avello said 2020 NFL Draft handle outran 2019 by a whopping 13.5 times.
Biggest NFL Draft bets
The largest reported bet of the 2020 NFL Draft was at PointsBet USA: $43,386 on the Dolphins taking an offensive player with their first pick. That cashed when Tua Tagovailoa went to Miami, though at a massive price of -1,429. The bettor collected about $3,000.
PointsBet got that back and more, with a $10,000 bet on Over 62.5 for Jalen Hurts’ draft position. BetMGM took a $14,000 play on Tua going to the Dolphins at -104, with the bettor pocketing $13,468.
There were also some smaller wagers at long odds that hit for relatively big payouts. BetMGM had three bettors take Hurts at 150/1 to go to the Eagles. The largest wager was only $20, but a $3,000 payout was not too shabby, to say the least.
NFL Draft betting winners and losers
Among the top props for PointsBet USA bettors, specifically in New Jersey, were team-oriented offerings on two of the top offensive tackles: the Giants taking Andrew Thomas and the Jets taking Mekhi Becton
Circa Sports saw bettors cash in on Henry Ruggs going to the Raiders and on him being the first wideout off the board, and Hurts going Under on the draft position prop, which opened at 78.5 and closed at 58.5. Hurts went 53rd to the Eagles.
Props the books did well to included:
- Quarterback Jordan Love's draft position of Over 22.5 (26th to the Packers)
- "Yes" on two QBs going back-to-back in the first round (Alabama's Tagovailoa fifth, Oregon's Justin Herbert sixth)
- What position the NFL Draft's 255th and final pick – Mr. Irrelevant – would come from, with 11 choices at William Hill US.
“We wrote over 800 tickets to it. It was a small winner,” Bogdanovich said of the Mr. Irrelevant prop, noting the correct pick of linebacker – Georgia’s Tae Crowder went to the Giants – closed at 8/1.
