Typically, Week 17 is one of the most difficult to bet in the NFL because of so many unknowns. Coaches rest their players, eliminated teams don’t try as hard and only a certain number of games have playoff implications.
This didn’t deter one bettor in West Virginia from cashing in big during the NFL’s final regular-season week.
The gambler hit a crazy 15-leg parlay that paid out an incredible 20,000-to-1 odds. Their small $5 wager netted a cool $100,000 from Hollywood Casino Sportsbook.
Happy New Year, indeed.
Little risk, big reward in sports betting
The beauty of betting a parlay is you typically don’t need to bet a whole lot in order to get a decent return. Obviously the more legs and how long their odds are play a role in exactly how much it will pay out. That being said, any 15-leg parlay is going to have very favorable odds.
Almost more impressive than hitting all 15 parts was the fact that the bettor basically took every game available on the NFL slate. They bet the spread for 14 of 16 games and also added the under total in the Bears and Vikings matchup.
Overall, the winning parlay had spread covers by the Cowboys, Chiefs, Patriots, Eagles, Lions, Texans, Browns, Falcons, Bills, Colts, Bengals, Bears, Chargers, Rams and the under 41 in Minnesota.
Close calls
It wasn’t nearly that easy, however.
- The Browns covered in Baltimore despite being down 20-7 at the half.
- Atlanta also overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to come back and win outright thanks to a field goal as time expired.
- Dallas scored a touchdown with just over a minute remaining on 4th down to snag a win and a cover as well.
- Lastly, Chicago forced Minnesota to turn the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter as the Vikings were threatening to score a touchdown and match the game’s total.
If any of these outcomes didn’t fall just right, this bettor would have lost the entire parlay. Instead, when the Colts covered on Sunday night, the celebration was on.
Long-term effects?
It’s difficult to say what a bet like this will do for sports gambling in West Virginia moving forward. Of course the sportsbook will be taking a significant revenue hit this month with such a massive payout, but it’s possible the excitement and news around the story will draw more people in over time.
Winning a 15-leg parlay doesn’t happen very often. However, once people hear that a $5 bet could potentially change your life, it’s something they might be willing to take a chance on. Similar to the lottery, many just want a little hope that they can take home a large cash prize for only a few dollars.
