Thursday brought massive news of the elevation of an American cardinal to pope.
White smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney to indicate that a new leader was chosen: Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV.
And the public sports betting masses apparently took it as a sign.
“Sports fans are looking for anything — even divine intervention — to help their favorite teams win,” said Neil Walsh, sportsbook senior vice president for Hard Rock Bet.
And so it was that, in the aftermath of Thursday’s vote, this Chicago-born and Villanova-educated Pope inspired a wave of wagers — straight bets and papal parlays — on teams with tangential ties to the first U.S.-born head of the Catholic church.
Walsh helps dive into more on the flood of futures bets on Super Bowl, World Series and March Madness odds.
The Chicago White Sox are in the midst of a dismal season, with the worst record in the American League at 12-29 as of Monday afternoon. But word is that Pope Leo XIV is a fan of the South Siders.
On Thursday at Hard Rock Bet, Chicago received its most wagers to win the World Series on a single day since Opening Day. However, the White Sox then proceeded to lose to the Kansas City Royals 10-0.
The Chicago Cubs are actually playing reasonably well and are atop the NL Central at 23-18 as of Monday. Thursday brought more Cubs World Series bets than any other day of the 2025 season.
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Betting on Super Bowl 60 odds has been open since even before the Philadelphia Eagles trounced the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59.
Hard Rock reported that Thursday’s news spurred the highest volume of bets on the Chicago Bears to win the Super Bowl since wagering opened in February.
In fact, the Bears are now the most-bet team to win Super Bowl 60.
March Madness
Over the years, Villanova has been a consistent contender in March Madness odds. At the moment, however, the Wildcats are seen as a long shot for the 2025-26 season.
Still, with the election of Pope Leo, hope springs eternal.
Prior to Thursday’s news, Villanova had drawn very few national championship bets. Post-papal announcement, though, the Wildcats saw more action than all other teams combined, between straight bets and parlays.
Villanova is now the second-most-bet team in March Madness odds, behind only Purdue, which is a favorite along with Duke.
Papal Parlays
Of course, some bettors are looking to turn a little into a lot — like, biblical proportions. And they’re thinking Pope Leo XIV is the pathway.
Since Thursday, one of the most popular futures parlays at Hard Rock Bet is:
- Villanova to win March Madness
- Cubs to win the World Series
- Bears to win the Super Bowl
Odds of those three events all happening are an astronomical +7000000 — or, in slightly easier-to-read terms, more than 70,000/1. So a $10 bet would profit an absolutely massive $703,970.
“Some of our players look at data, others rely on gut feeling. And, in this case, potentially a higher power,” Walsh said.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on X: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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