[stevenash]

Las Vegas sports books end up the big winners on a night when NFL’s replacement refs blow a certain win for Green Bay Packers

It's impossible to get an exact figure on how much the dollar amount wagered in Las Vegas (legally and illegally) shifted as a result of the Seahawks beating the Packers, but Benjamin Eckstein puts it at around $150 to $200 million.The Packers ended up big losers Monday night thanks to the replacement ref debacle in Seattle.
The winners? That's easy ... the Las Vegas sports books.


With 70-75% of the dollars being wagered on Green Bay (favored by 3-1/2 points) to beat the Seahawks on the road, a certain loser for Vegas turned into a winner after the NFL's scab officials blew the call on the game's final play.


"(The sports books) cleaned up on the game as they usually do when the underdog covers the spread," America's Line president Benjamin Eckstein told the Daily News.


Not only did Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate get away with an egregious offensive pass interference penalty on the Hail Mary (which the NFL admitted Tuesday should have been called), but the replacement refs ruled Tate and Packers safety M.D. Jennings simultaneously caught the ball. Touchdown, Seahawks and a 14-12 win for the underdog.


The rest of the football-watching world saw the play as a clear interception, including Eckstein.


"I thought the refs blew it," Eckstein said. "From my angle, I thought (Jennings) had the ball intercepted. It was a clear interception. (The replacement refs) called a jump ball ... ridiculous."


While Eckstein says there's no way you can pinpoint the exact dollar amount that shifted as a result of the Monday night gaffe, he estimated the amount to be between $150-200 million in legal and illegal bets.


Eckstein called it a "perfect storm" of bad publicity for the NFL.


"You had a situation where everybody was watching — because it was Monday night — it was the last play of a game where the Packers had the spread covered and then all of sudden hundreds of millions of dollars changed hands," Eckstein said. "It was a monster."
Kevin Bradley, Sportsbook Manager for Bovada, agreed.


"Never have I seen such an egregious call that represented such a huge swing in money," Bradley said in a statement. "With 75% of pre-game action on the Packers, (Monday night's) game-ending play goes down as one of the most significant last minute money swings in recent betting memory, and certainly the most controversial. Even the Super Bowl odds have been impacted as the Packers went from 7/1 to 17/2 and the Seahawks went from 60/1 to 30/1. It's unfortunate that the referees and not the players are determining outcomes of NFL games."


But while most gamblers aren't going to stop wagering on the NFL just because the replacement refs are turning America's favorite sport into a farce, one celebrity Tuesday said he's done.


"I love the action, but I will never bet on the #NFL again," tweeted tennis star Jimmy Connors.


"(The replacement refs) are doing the best job they can," Eckstein said. "People are gripping, moaning and screaming about the refs now, but that's been going on forever."


Pro football accounts for 40% of the sports wagering market in the U.S. — easily dwarfing the other major sports — and Eckstein calls the NFL season "Christmas" for the betting public and the Vegas sports books.

"The fans wait patiently during the offseason to open their wallets for the NFL," Eckstein said.


While America's Line isn't currently offering odds on when the real refs will return to the field, Eckstein says his best guess is before Week 8.
Bet on it.

[ebbearsfb1]

But the nfl is not rigged or fixed... lol..