Weather Wreaks Havoc with Super Bowl Vegas Prop Bets
The unstable weather and record-low temperatures currently being experienced in the United States have delayed the traditional prop bets put out by Las Vegas bookmakers ahead of the Super Bowl.
According to Bloomberg, the February 2nd meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at the East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium will be the first time in Super Bowl history that a game will be played outdoors in cold winter weather.
Because of the uncertainty of how the extreme weather conditions could affect play, some bookmakers have delayed the publication of prop bets on the game. This may be negatively affect revenue for Vegas bookies as prop bets make up 60% of the total money wagered during Super Bowl season.
According a bookmaker at the MGM Mirage in Vegas, “everything, except for the basic stuff, is going to pushed back a day or two so we can get a much more clearer picture of what the weather is going to be like.”
Bookmakers predict that within a day or two, basic props will be put up such as the name of the first player to score a touchdown, however the more comprehensive props will probably be delayed until January 29th.
Jay Rood, director of sports book at the MGM Mirage said that should bookies get a forecast that there is little chance that the weather will significantly impact results at the MetLife Stadium on February 2nd, prop bets might be released earlier.
“But probably not,” he added.
Some bookmakers, such as the Las Vegas Hotel’s SuperBook, have said props will be released on time (probably by the 23rd), however betting lines will be based on forecast weather conditions.
“We’ll see what the weather is looking like at that time and make our numbers based on that,” assistant manager Jeff Sherman said.”Every day we’ll just check it and if it looks like things are changing, we’ll make the necessary adjustment. We’d rather it be nice conditions and hopefully not have an effect on the game as far as causing more turnovers or if a quarterback is having trouble throwing the ball in windy conditions.”
