Legalized Betting Sparks Exciting Comeback in Florida

New York has reported that it took more than $2 billion in sports bets in a month, which makes it the first state to surpass this milestone. Meanwhile, Colorado disclosed that bettors had wagered $12.5 million on table tennis in September. But one of the wildest betting stories of the week came from Florida, where a bettor with Hard Rock casino’s newly re-opened online sportsbook won $5.5 million on a four-leg, same-game parlay on the Houston Texans-Cincinnati Bengals game. The parlay included the Texans to beat the Bengals, the game to go over 44.5 points, Texans running back Devin Singletary to score a touchdown, and Singletary to go over 51.5 rushing yards.

Another noteworthy bet in Florida was on a midweek MAC football game where a bettor placed two bets totaling $1,546,000 on a one-win Kent State team against Bowling Green, resulting in a loss. Hard Rock reported that they accepted a $1 million wager on the Detroit Pistons (+8.5) against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, which also resulted in a loss.

Overall, sportsbooks reported mixed results on Sunday’s NFL games. Caesars Sportsbook called it a “break-even” day, while the SuperBook said the results were “OK” for the house. There were six outright upsets and underdogs were 5-8 against the spread. The Raiders topped the Jets 16-12 on Sunday night, contributing to a season where primetime games are 24-7 to the under.

In college football, Oregon QB Bo Nix emerged as a consensus odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after the Ducks’ win over USC on Saturday. A game between Rutgers and Iowa had a total line set at 27.5, the lowest of any FBS college football game since at least 2000, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The trend of low totals continues, and bookmakers and bettors are adjusting to this new territory. The amount wagered in September with New York sportsbooks was a record for a single month in any U.S. jurisdiction, with $2.0 billion in bets placed. Meanwhile, Colorado reported $12.5 million in bets on table tennis in September. The early line on next week’s Ohio State-Michigan game favored the Wolverines at -5.5 (-115) over the Buckeyes.