Any time the Wall Street Journal has an article about sports, I read every word. Partly because their articles are always well written and fascinating. And partly because it makes me feel better about my addiction to sports news. Darren Everson of the WSJ has a great article on the Patriots vs. Giants Super Bowl and it's affect on Las Vegas (another guilty pleasure).
Despite being 11 point favorites this Sunday, the Patriots are underdogs as 75% of the money is being put on the Giants... a potentially huge problem for Las Vegas (particularly considering the amount of money that is gambled on Super Bowl Sunday).
"Super Bowl XLII may reach $100 million in legal betting in Las Vegas for the first time, experts say, a figure that is a fraction of the estimated $10 billion that will be wagered world-wide...
As of yesterday, 75% of the wagered money at the Hilton was on the Giants. "There's definitely concern," Mr. Kornegay said. "If you find any Patriots fans, make sure to send them our way.
As money has flowed in on the Giants, the sports books have lowered the spread to 12 or 12½ to encourage betting on New England and to even up the action. They are hoping that the line eventually will rise back to 13 or beyond, because history has shown that casual bettors -- who typically bet in the final few days before the game -- overwhelmingly favor the favorite."
If you've watched ESPN at all this week - I've been amazed that all of the analysts not-named-Skip-Bayless are picking the Giants to win straight up.
I fail to understand how people are siding with the Giants and stand by my very confident pick of a Patriots win and a cover (14+ points).
