The pain and suffering of Detroit Lions fans appears to be providing an exhale of relief for online sportsbooks.
With the Lions blowing a 17-point halftime lead in the NFC Championship and losing to the San Francisco 49ers 34-31, online operators now have their biggest liability off the board to win the Super Bowl.
Sunday’s result proved to be an important one for Michigan online sportsbooks and sportsbooks around the country.
Sportsbooks cash in on Lions’ loss
Detroit went into Sunday’s game at San Francisco as a 7.5-point underdog, but that didn’t stop bettors from loading up on Detroit.
As a +270 underdog to win the game outright, the Lions were getting 65% of the money in the outright winner market according to DraftKings. Specifically at DraftKings Sportsbook Michigan, 90% of the money line wagers were on the Lions.
At BetMGM, the Lions were getting 71% of the money as the underdog, with 95% of the money at BetMGM Sportsbook Michigan going on Detroit to win.
On top of the money line money lost by bettors in the comeback by the 49ers, futures markets took a big hit as well.
According to BetMGM, they had significant liability on the Lions winning the Super Bowl.
Entering last week, Detroit was +700 to win the Super Bowl. The Lions opened the market at +2500 before the season.
The Lions were the most wagered on team to win the Super Bowl in Michigan.
Lions cover, shake up live markets in first half
Not all went perfect for the sportsbooks on Sunday.
As the Lions scored a touchdown in the final minute of play to cut the San Francisco win to 34-31, that allowed the Lions to cover the lofty spread.
BetMGM had over 70% of its NFC Championship wagers going on the Lions plus the points. Thus, bettors took a nice chunk from the operator last night.
During Sunday’s game, the Super Bowl winner’s market had some significant changes.
Approaching halftime, with the Lions up 24-7, FanDuel Sportsbook Michigan listed the Lions at +260 to win the Super Bowl. San Francisco had been pushed back to +390.
By the time the 49ers took their first lead in the second half, the odds were back to San Francisco being ahead of Detroit. The 49ers moved to +160, while the Lions fell to +450.
Lions among 2025 Super Bowl favorites
While Detroit fans may not want to hear this right now, sportsbooks see the Lions as championship contenders again next season.
DraftKings lists the Lions at +1200 to win next season’s Super Bowl. They rank fifth among shortest odds in the league. San Francisco is favored at +550.
FanDuel is listing the Lions at +1700 to win next year’s Super Bowl, which ranks seventh among all NFL teams.
This year’s Super Bowl odds see San Francisco as a 1-point favorite against the Kansas City Chiefs at most Michigan online sportsbooks.
The 49ers opened as a 2.5-point favorite following Sunday’s win over the Lions.
