Books fear big SB for Kelce as bettors back TE

David Purdum, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 8, 2024, 07:11 PM ET
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- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008

LAS VEGAS — Just days before the Super Bowl, an interesting development was shaping up at Caesars Sportsbook: There were more bets on Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to score a touchdown in Sunday’s game than there were on the favored San Francisco 49ers overall.

“I can’t think of another player who demands so much attention,” said Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading for Caesars Sportsbook.

Kelce is one of three players who are odds-on favorites to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Kelce is listed around -110 in the anytime touchdown markets offered at sportsbooks. Niners running back Christian McCaffrey is around -230 to find the end zone, and Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is -125.

But Kelce is the biggest concern for sportsbooks, and it’s something bookmakers have become accustomed to — and not just this season, when pop star Taylor Swift entered his life.

“He was good before all this buzz about who he was going out with and was still well-backed [by bettors] every week,” said Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sportsbook.

At DraftKings, Kelce is the most popular bet to score the game’s first touchdown and, other than the two starting quarterbacks, has attracted more than twice as many bets as any player to be named Super Bowl MVP.

“A good day for Kelce is a bad day for the books,” Mucklow said.