Futures wagers are a fun way to potentially turn a little into a lot.
In the NFL, for example, putting 20 or 50 or perhaps a hundred bucks on a team to accomplish the unexpected, months before it happens, basically gives you a season-long bet.
Perhaps you’ll win a few hundred dollars or maybe a few thousand.
Unless, of course, you’re a high-roller. Then the returns are exponentially larger, as one BetMGM customer learned over the weekend with a million-dollar win.
And that customer isn’t done yet.
More on a winning major wager, notable parlay hits and misses, and other interesting plays as we recap NFL betting from this past weekend.
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Climbing the Ladder
Back in August, the Seahawks weren’t expected to be among the NFL’s elite. Oddsmakers thought Seattle might make the playoffs but didn’t believe a conference championship or a Super Bowl run were in the cards.
At that point, a prescient bettor, or a huge Seahawks fan — perhaps both — thought otherwise. The BetMGM customer made a ladder of bets that day, totaling $150,000.
The second of those bets: $50,000 Seahawks +2800 to win the NFC.
On Sunday night, that wager got to the finish line in thrilling fashion. The Seahawks held off the Rams 31-27, and the bettor banked a whopping $1.4 million (total payout $1.45 million).
As you can see from that post on X, the seven-figure payday is on top of $92,500 the bettor already won on Seattle making the playoffs.
And if the Seahawks finish it off with a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots — which Seattle is favored to do — then the bettor wins another $3 milly.
Not a bad spot to be in right now.
Sweat in the Snow
There’s nothing quite like sweating out a point-spread bet in an NFL game. Plenty of us know what that’s like.
What plenty of us don’t know? What it’s like to sweat out a mid-six-figure wager, on an underdog, with a backup quarterback, in the snow.
A BetMGM customer now knows what that feels like.
The bettor put $500,000 on Broncos +3.5 (-105) vs. Patriots. Denver scored a first-quarter touchdown, then didn’t put up a single point the rest of the game.
But that was enough, as the two teams struggled to slog through second-half snow, and the Patriots won 10-7. For that sweat, the bettor nabbed $476,190.48 in profit, for a total payout of $976,190.48.
Missed It By That Much
A Fanatics Sportsbook customer got frisky over the weekend with a 13-leg parlay, spread across UFC 324, the NHL and NBA, then capped by the NFL conference title games.
The wager: $275. The odds: A hefty +333546, or in easier-to-digest terms, just beyond 3,335/1.
By the time the NFC Championship Game kicked off Sunday night on FOX, all that stood between the bettor and nearly a million dollars was a Puka Nacua touchdown and a Rams victory.
Late in the third quarter, Nacua did his part with a 34-yard TD catch. And with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Rams were knocking on the door of the go-ahead score.
But L.A.’s drive ended at the Seattle 6-yard line on a failed fourth-down attempt.
Six yards short of a potential payout of $917,526.50. That’s gotta sting.
Parlay Partay
On the flip side, another Fanatics customer somehow steered home a $1,000, 24-leg parlay. And it was all over the sports map, as well.
Australian Open tennis matches comprised 14 of the 24 legs. NBA and college basketball matchups filled up much of the rest of that card.
In fact, there was only one NFL component: Patriots moneyline -250 vs. Broncos.
Oh, and the bettor chose heavy favorites with every selection. I wouldn’t recommend 24-leg parlays, and even less so on a mountain of big favorites.
But in this case, you can’t argue with the result. The odds were +4300, and the bettor utilized a 25% profit-boost promotion to hike those odds to +5473.
So that $1,000 turned into $55,728.
Here’s Hoping You Had It
It’s not all about making big bets or cashing out huge on a 10-leg parlay. Which, just to be clear, is rare. Always keep that firmly in mind.
Sometimes, it’s about putting 10 bucks on a single straight bet, backing a long shot or semi-long shot, and getting a solid return on investment.
For example: FanDuel Sportsbook had Seahawks backup wideout Jake Bobo +2700 to score a touchdown in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Bobo had only three catches the entire season. So you could forgive bettors for not getting on board.
But if you’d put a tenner on that, then your wallet would be $270 fatter. A hundred bucks would’ve returned $2,700 in profit.
I Like Big Bets and I Cannot Lie
Major wagers landed throughout the weekend on NFL Conference Championship Weekend odds. As noted above, that $500,000 Broncos bet led the way.
Other notable bets:
- $111,111.11 (yes, 11 cents, too) Patriots moneyline -188 (BetMGM). All New England had to do was win, regardless of margin. So the customer netted $53,333.33 in profit (total payout $164,444.44.
- $100,000 Broncos +4.5 (-102) vs. Patriots (DraftKings Sportsbook). Denver kept it just close enough, losing by three, and the bettor profited $98,039.22 (total payout $198,039.22).
Additionally, at BetMGM, a few Broncos AFC championship futures fell a few points short:
- $100,000 Broncos +350 to win the AFC.
- $75,000 Broncos +350 to win the AFC.
- $50,000 Broncos +350 to win the AFC.
Just a reminder: High-rollers have the means to take such risks and absorb those seemingly obscene losses. As we head toward Super Bowl 60, don’t get carried away with your wagers. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.
