Texans’ last-second victory over Bengals results in $5.5M parlay prize
In what is being hailed as one of the biggest payouts on a parlay bet by a U.S. sportsbook, a bettor in Florida has won an incredible $5.5 million on a $500,000 four-leg NFL parlay with the newly reopened Hard Rock sportsbook. The winning drive that clinched this massive win was authored by Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. The win was solidified with Texans kicker Matt Ammendola’s 38-yard field goal on the final play, securing a 30-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The four legs of the same-game parlay included a bet on the Houston Texans to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texans-Bengals 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. To everyone’s amazement, all legs of the parlay hit as the underdog Texans pulled off the unexpected upset over the Bengals. Singletary’s outstanding performance of 150 rushing yards and a touchdown, combined with Stroud’s 3 out of 4 successful passes to drive Houston into field goal position, proved to be the winning combination.
Following the unprecedented payout, the Hard Rock sportsbook’s X account, formerly Twitter, posted “Who else cooked us?” as they acknowledged the big parlay win.
The Hard Rock online sportsbook in Florida had been closed for two years due to an ongoing legal battle, but since its reopening last Tuesday, the source familiar with the action stated that million-dollar bets have been commonplace. On Wednesday, a bettor in Florida placed two bets totaling $1,546,000 on a one-win Kent State football team against Bowling Green, only to suffer a devastating 49-19 loss.
Jon Chapper, senior director of communications for Hard Rock Digital, confirmed the large bets on Kent State to ESPN but declined to disclose any further details regarding the bettor’s identity. He mentioned that the significant wagers, including those on lower-profile games, were consistent with the betting patterns seen when the sportsbook was open in November 2021.
Shahrouz Ebadian, a tech executive in Fort Lauderdale, expressed little surprise at the reported size of the bets by Hard Rock in Florida but questioned some of the bettors’ picks. He was particularly curious about why someone would wager such large amounts on a struggling 1-8 team like Kent State. Nonetheless, Ebadian believes that South Florida is a unique and appealing market for high-stakes betting.
These large payouts and bets signify a significant turning point in the world of sports betting and gambling in Florida, signaling a new era of high-stakes wagering in the state.