The Kansas City Chiefs gave one bettor a very, very Merry Christmas Wednesday. Caesars Palace sportsbook in Las Vegas accepted a $1.45 million bet earlier in the week on Patrick Mahomes and Co. to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The moneyline wager came with -145 odds.
The Chiefs were 2.5-point favorites, but the bettor didn't want to deal with the spread. As it turns out, it wouldn’t have mattered. Kansas City easily dispatched the Steelers 29-10. It was a no-sweat win for the bettor who cashed a $2.45 million ticket, netting the individual $1 million, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Kansas City improved to 16-1, giving Pittsburgh its first-ever loss on Christmas Day and putting the Steelers behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North-winner race.
The lucky Caesars Palace customer wasn't the only person to score big in December. A Kentucky bettor recently cashed a ticket worth over $3 million in dramatic fashion at Circa Sports.
Parlay present
Caesars wasn’t done sharing Christmas joy. An Indiana bettor placed a $200 parlay that paid out $50,000. All seven legs of the wager came during Wednesday’s late game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
The bettor cashed in on the Under, a pair of C.J. Stroud passing props, rush attempts by Derrick Henry and Joe Mixon, and two Lamar Jackson passing props. The Ravens blew out the Texans 31-2, and Jackson sat out the fourth quarter, allowing the passing legs to go Under.
Stroud barely missed the 33.5 pass attempts total, finishing with 31, and the Texans' QB had just 17 completions. Henry reached his attempts total with 27 while Mixon had just nine because Houston played from behind nearly the entire contest.
Thursday night insights
The Seattle Seahawks still have NFL playoff hopes when they play at Chicago Thursday night as 4-point favorites, and bettors love the visitors' chances. BetMGM reported 90% of the tickets and 93% of the money are on the Hawks, who are also getting 85% of the handle on moneyline bets.
As for total points, 57% of the handle and 65% of the wagers are on Over 42.5. With +180 odds, Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the most-bet player to score an anytime touchdown.
