A $1 million wager by a bettor on Caesars Sportsbook turned into a mighty sweat on Sunday night.
The bet was on the Kansas City Chiefs moneyline at -175 to win $571,428 in profit.
A bettor at @CaesarsPalace wagered $1,000,000 on the Chiefs ML (-175) 😱
— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) September 22, 2024
Potential payout: $1,571,428.57 pic.twitter.com/unhNinbvDz
Even for the road team at Atlanta, it seemed like an easy wager on the favorite. The Falcons were coming off a wild win at Philadelphia on Monday night and due for a letdown. Despite the first two wins for the Chiefs coming in late-game dramatic fashion, this was Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, last year’s Super Bowl winner and three-time title-holder partners.
However, this is the NFL, and nothing seems easy.
The Falcons trailed 22-14 in the third quarter before getting a field goal early in the final quarter. They got the ball back and marched inside the Kansas City 10-yard line before opting to go for it on fourth-and-5 instead of kicking a field goal that would’ve cut the lead to two.
Is this pass interference? 🤔
— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) September 23, 2024
pic.twitter.com/aygObY5Ikx
The final sweat
Atlanta didn’t convert, which the bettor greatly needed. Oh, and there was a controversial no-call in the end zone on third down after Kirk Cousins tried to find tight end Kyle Pitts. The bettor greatly needed that as well.
The lack of points came back to haunt the Falcons after they had another possession deep into KC territory.
The Falcons reached the Chiefs 13, thanks to three Kansas City penalties, and needed just one yard to keep the drive alive with about a minute to play.
However, the Chiefs defense stopped not one but two rushing attempts, including a tackle-for-loss on Bijan Robinson to turn the ball over on downs with 51 seconds left and ice the win for the million-dollar bettor.
Chiefs get the stop on fourth down!!!!
— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2024
📺: #KCvsATL on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/5aUfSMdG6o
Don’t feel bad
It might be hard to feel bad for the sportsbooks, though. They likely cleaned up once again on Sunday, based on some of the biggest Week 3 needs.
New York’s online operators hauled in $69.2 million, the second-largest weekly revenue ever reported in the Empire State, after the NFL’s Week 2.