Chiefs-Texans determines sportsbooks' Sunday
The prime-time game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans determined whether it would be a winning or losing NFL Sunday for multiple Las Vegas sportsbooks.
Three prominent books reported taking big bets on the underdog Texans on Sunday, including one "well into six figures" at an MGM book.
Sportsbook operator CG Technology took a $50,000 money-line bet on the Texans and a $100,000 on Houston +2 from the same customer. The Westgate SuperBook also reported taking a large bet on the Texans from a house player or high-roller, casino guest.
The undefeated Chiefs outlasted the Texans 42-34, sending the shops that took the big bets on Houston to a winning day. Other books weren't as lucky and found themselves needing the Texans to secure a positive Sunday.
At Caesars Palace sportsbooks, 70 percent of the money bet was on Kansas City. The action was also lopsided on the Chiefs at Station Casinos, Stratosphere and William Hill.
"Right now, it's a small win," a Caesars sportsbook manager told ESPN, before the Chiefs-Texans game kicked off. "We're lopsided on the Chiefs for this game, so it would eat away most of our profits for the day."
The Green Bay Packers' thrilling 35-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys was the most heavily-bet game of the day. Bettors sided with the underdog Packers at most books before -- and during -- another game between the NFC contenders that went down to the wire.
The Packers were listed as 7-1 underdogs to win at William Hill after Dallas took a 31-28 lead on a Dak Prescott touchdown run with 1:13 to play. In live betting, William Hill took 24 bets on the Packers at that point, the largest a pair of $200 bets that cashed when Aaron Rodgers capped a last-minute drive with the winning touchdown pass to Davante Adams with four seconds left.
The Jacksonville Jaguars' upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers was the biggest win of the early kickoffs for several sportsbooks, while bettors did well with the Philadelphia Eagles' blowout of the Arizona Cardinals.
On the day, favorites went 6-6 against the spread, and there were six overs and six unders.
"We won a little over the counter and are losing a little bit on the mobile [betting app]," Jay Rood, vice president of MGM race and sports said late Sunday afternoon. "Some of the sharps and a couple of the house players are doing OK on the mobile, but it's pretty much a wash."
