The NFL is king when it comes to sports betting, and one bettor in Kentucky has put a lot of faith in Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
On Thursday afternoon, Circa Sports reported on taking a $3.1 million wager on the Eagles money line (to win straight up) against the Carolina Panthers. The wager was placed at -700 odds, meaning the bettor would win roughly $442,850 if the Eagles win the game.
The wager is the biggest NFL bet this season, one of the largest reported wagers ever at a U.S. legalized sportsbook and is confirmed to be the biggest ever taken at Circa Sports, a sportsbook known to cater to sharper bettors and have higher limits.
Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens first reported the wager on Thursday night on “VSiN PrimeTime” and noted that the sportsbook moved the Eagles ML up to -870 and the Panthers ML down to +650 in an effort to attract Carolina action. The Eagles were consensus 13.5-point favorites in the game at sportsbooks as of Friday afternoon and generating plenty of betting action.
“[Philly-Carolina] is our most bet game of the weekend, and it’s been largely one-way traffic on Philly, with 70% of the handle on the spread and 80% on the moneyline,” Adrian Horton, director of North American sports trading for ESPN BET, told The Athletic in an email. “The Eagles are our most-bet moneyline selection by both tickets and handle. On the spread, we opened the game at -12.5, and it’s still moving in the Eagles’ direction, now at -13.5 on Friday.”
The Eagles ML was the most-bet money-line wager of all the Week 14 NFL games at DraftKings Sportsbook, and 97% of the wagers and total dollars wagered on the Philadelphia-Carolina ML were on the Eagles at DraftKings.
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There have been several $1 million wagers this season in the NFL:
In Week 12, a bettor at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas wagered $1 million on the Los Angeles Rams +3 against the Eagles; Philadelphia won 37-20.
In Week 11, a bettor at Hard Rock Bet wagered $1 million on an alternate line of Houston Texans +4.5 at -850 odds on Monday Night Football; Houston won 34-10.
In Week 3, a bettor at Caesars wagered $1 million on the Kansas City Chiefs ML -175 at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football; Kansas City won 22-17.
The 10-2 Eagles have won eight straight games, while the 3-9 Panthers have lost seven of their last eight.
(Photo of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
