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Sports gambling is not for the faint of heart, but you all know that. After all, it takes some serious balls to throw your hard-earned money at a sporting event that you have absolutely, positively no impact on — unless you’re Tim Doughty and are a ref who can skew the outcomes. But most of us don’t have that kind of power, so we end up taking risks that plenty of financial advisors would suggest not doing.
And, in the most recent example of sports gambling sucking, Total Pro Sports recapped some of the biggest NFL bets from this past weekend, which were reported from various sportsbooks on ESPN.com. The ones that really caught my eye? Uh, how about the examples of two guys who lost both $40,000 and $50,000, respectively, because the Buffalo Bills blew their 17-6 lead over the New York Jets? Yeah, I’d say that would leave a bitter taste in my mouth. In fact, I might fall into a deep, deep depression if that ever happened to me.
According to Total Pro Sports, one guy tossed the 40 grand at a money-line parlay on the Buffalo Bills (-225) and Los Angeles Chargers (-1,400). While the Chargers held up their end of the bargain, barely, the Bills were outscored 14-6 in the second half and lost to the Jets, 27-23, which cost the sports gambler all that cash. Had he won, he would’ve netted about $22,000.
Oh, but that’s not even the worse story of sports gambling gone wrong last weekend.
In, arguably, the most devastating loss of the weekend, a Nevada sportsbook operator CG Technology took a $20,500 money-line bet on the Patriots beating the Dolphins straight up at -410 odds. With just 16 seconds left, the Pats were leading 33-28, so the gambler was probably smiling and starting to get the champagne to pop — since the bet would’ve net him $5,000. Of course, we know what ended up happening instead, the Miami Miracle, where the Dolphins lateraled their way 69 yards for a game-winning touchdown.
And, finally, there’s this little nugget from the ESPN sportsbooks report: CG Technology also took a $50,000 bet on the Bills -3.5. That’s the same game I mentioned above, where the Bills blew a 17-6 lead (which was just 17-13 at halftime), only to come out on the losing end.
Hey, sports gambling might be thrilling and make some fans feel part of the action. But, damn, when people are losing this kind of money, it can’t be fun. I mean, if you’re looking to blow $50,000 on something, I’m happy to take that cash off your hands and do a wild weekend in Vegas with a bunch of buddies. That seems more entertaining anyway.