Big Super Bowl Bets Show Up On Bucs: Did Some Gamblers Know Tom Brady Was Coming Back?

Big Super Bowl Bets Show Up On Bucs: Did Some Gamblers Know Tom Brady Was Coming Back?
Photo by Did some Buccaneers' bettors know Tom Brady was returning before the information was made public? (AP Photo/Alex Menendez)

The Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas was among the sportsbooks taking increased action on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win Super Bowl 57 starting late last week. Futures odds on the Bucs were then +6000 at the Westgate. The timing of the bets is especially curious after news of Tom Brady’s return was revealed Sunday night.

“We actually took some bigger bets on the Bucs on Thursday to win the NFC and the Super Bowl,” Westgate VP of Race and Sportsbook Operations Jay Kornegay told Gaming Today. “Then on Sunday, the announcement was made public. I really wasn’t too happy about that. It felt like somebody knew the information before the world did. They were able to take advantage of those types of odds. It’s something that they (the NFL) should probably look into.”

Kornegay noted the bets made last week would win six figures, but on the lower end of that scale. He wasn’t overly concerned about the liability.

“It’s not something we can’t overcome,” he said. “It creates some liability, but we’ve got 11 months before the Super Bowl is played. The Bucs certainly aren’t the team they (were) last year. They have a dozen free agents they need to figure out how to sign or replace, and their schedule is far more difficult this upcoming year.”

As we were speaking with Kornegay on Monday, a $2,000 bet came in on Tampa Bay to win the Super Bowl at the Westgate’s adjusted odds of +1000.

Most sportsbooks across the industry reacted in kind when news of Brady’s return broke. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings (+850), FanDuel (+750), BetMGM (+800), and PointsBet (+850) were all closely aligned. Those odds are a far cry from the +6000 some Buccaneers’ bettors enjoyed last week prior to news of Brady’s return.

“I was just a little concerned with how the information got out there,” Kornegay said, adding, “With this information, only a select few had it and bet (on) it at books across the country including ours.”

Also read: Calvin Ridley suspended for betting on NFL games

About the Author
Kris Johnson

Kris Johnson

Senior Writer
Kris Johnson is a senior writer at Gaming Today with more than 15 years of experience as a sports journalist. Johnson's work has appeared in Sports Business Daily, Sports Business Journal, NASCAR Illustrated, and other publications. He also authored a sports betting novel titled The Endgame.

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