Sunday - 12:30 pm
Most of the Las Vegas Sports Books are in cruise control mode as they head for the home stretch of kickoff with a few exceptions. Bob Scucci of Coast Resorts and Bert Osborne over at the South Point are maneuvering to see if they can shake up any extra cash from bettors in the final moments offering the best lines in town.
It’s not to say it’s quiet by any means at the books, because it’s anything but. It’s just that all the long lines and the majority of people betting right now are doing so with small money. The people with large money have already had their best opportunities to get their optimum value and likely have done so.
Scucci had went back to Packers -2 ½ (-120) at 4:21 yesterday after getting enough Steelers action at +3 (-120) over a four hour period. At 11:03 this morning, Scucci jumped back in to get some more Pittsburgh action while Osborne dropped his line to -2 ½ flat after being at -3 for almost two whole days.
Osborne’s action came quickly on the Packers due to it being the most attractive line in the world. Everywhere else in the world, the Packers are at least -2 ½ (-120). It only took Osborne 20 minutes until he got to the desired threshold on the move and went back to -3 flat, which also is the best line in the world. 20 minutes later, Osborne went back to -2 ½ flat, a trend that is likely to continue until kickoff as he’s just letting the money dictate the moves.
The rest of the Las Vegas Sports Books appear to be content with where they are and likely will not make any move to generate more action. All of them will be in same boat with the worst case scenario being the Packers covering and the total going over 44 ½.
The South Point may be the only book in Las Vegas who will cheering for the Packers because of all the action they have taken at +3 flat, likely the bulk of the sharp money to be had on the Steelers in town.
Mike Colbert at the M Resort has created some unique action with his Packers -2 ½ (-132) line getting some Steelers support, but says he’s still needs the Steelers and really needs the total to stay under. Colbert also predicted today that the state record of $94.5 million in handle would be broken, something that most of the other sports books have disagreed with saying $88 million looked to be the number.
But you never know, between the business model that the M has and the manufacturing of business that Scucci and Osborne have been working for the last few days, it’s very possible that this game could eclipse the state record. Factor in all the other regular local bettors, two attractive teams with storied history and 300,000 people visiting for the game, it could happen.
That does it from Las Vegas; enjoy the game and good luck!
I’ll be back early tomorrow morning with a final analysis of what actually happened at all the sports books in town.
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