» Jan 24, 2008
The New York Giants may be the underdog against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII but they’ve quickly become a favorite for bettors.
The fact the Giants came close to handing the Patriots their first loss of the 2007-08 campaign when the teams clashed on Dec. 30 is a big reason why many bettors are picking the Giants to cover the spread against the Pats on Feb. 3 at the University of Phoenix stadium.
“A lot of early sharp money has come in on the Giants as Patriots backers are starting to wonder if they can cover a double-digit number against a team that had them on the ropes in Week 17,” BodogLife Bookmaker Richard Gardner told SuperBowlHistory.net on Tuesday.
In what was the final tilt of the regular season for both teams, the Giants were leading the Patriots in the fourth quarter, but ended up losing 38-35.
At Sportsbook.com, 82 per cent of Super Bowl wagering has been on the Giants so far.
Most online sportsbooks had the Patriots as 13-point favorites on Monday morning, the day after New England beat the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC Championship Game, and the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers 23-20 in overtime in the NFC title game.
But by Tuesday morning, several sportsbooks began cutting that number back, as football bettors were taking advantage of the big spread and betting the Giants would beat it.
BodogLife now has the Patriots as 11-point favorites, while Sportsbook.com has them favored by 12.
In Moneyline betting, New England is a -475 favorite at BetUS and -500 at BetOnline.com.
The Las Vegas line opened at 14 but has now dropped to 12 or 12½ at most Nevada sportsbooks. Some still have the Patriots as 13- or 13½-point favorites.
The wagering handle in Vegas could reach $100 million for the first time. The record for a Super Bowl is $94.5 million, set two years ago when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks.
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