ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Have you won money betting on Saint Peter’s, the longest running men’s college basketball team reached the Elite Eight at the national championship tournament this year?
If so, you have plenty of company.
According to sportsbook DraftKings, punters won more money betting on Saint Peter’s than any other team in 2022. And the Peacocks’ 67-64 win over Purdue on March 25 was the top winning game for customers at BetMGM.
Have you lost money betting on the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers or Alabama Crimson Tide? Many others did too.
Several of the country’s leading sports bookmakers provided year-end data to The Associated Press, giving a glimpse of how people will bet in 2022.
Other moneymakers for DraftKings were North Carolina, Gonzaga, Kansas and Providence in the NCAA tournament; and the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Commanders in the NFL.
Among the big money losers for DraftKings clients was the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, who didn’t even qualify for the playoffs an injury marred 2022 season; the Denver Broncos, a trendy preseason Super Bowl pick whose trade for veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has backfired in a 4-11 season so far; the struggling Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Brady’s former team, the New England Patriots; the Miami Dolphins; and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets.
In terms of total money wagered, Golden State’s Steph Curry was the top-betting player of 2022 for DraftKings, followed by Rams’ Cooper Kupp, reigning Super Bowl MVP; American League MVP Aaron Judge of the Yankees; Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry; Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs; Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic; Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks; Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’marr Chase and Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.
In terms of sheer number of bets, Titans running back Derrick Henry was first, followed by Kelce and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. Others on the list included New York Giants running back Saquan Barkley, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.
The players on which Caesars Sportsbook customers have bet the most have been Curry; Doncic; Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow; Tatum and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Caesar’s most heavily bet teams were the Yankees; Warrior; Los Angeles Dodgers; New York Mets and Phoenix Suns.
At BetMGM, the players with the most bets were Judge, Curry and Doncic.
Houston mattress retailer and big gambler Jim McIngvale, aka “Mattress Mack,” had two big wins this year on Caesars: bets $3 million for the Houston Astros winning the World Series at odds of 10-1 for a $30 million payout; and winning nearly $8 million by betting on Kansas to win the NCAA basketball tournament.
At BetMGM, the players with the most bets were Judge, Curry and Doncic. McIngvale also netted $10 million on an Astros World Series bet with BetMGM.
A World Cup soccer game in which the USA defeated Iran 1-0 was the third most profitable game for customers at BetMGM this year.
Games that went best for BetMGM – but not their customers – were spearheaded by the September 12 revenge game between the Seattle Seahawks, who had just traded Wilson, and the Denver Broncos, the team that had taken him over. They also did well in a 49ers-Packers playoff game, the Georgia-Alabama college football championship game, and a Bengals-Titans playoff game.
This sportsbook also paid out big bets on the Super Bowl, including million-dollar bets on the Rams to outscore the Bengals in the first and fourth quarters.
As with most sports betting, PointsBet’s top-betted Game of the Year was the Super Bowl, followed by the Bengals Chiefs AFC Conference Championship game; the Raiders Chiefs game on October 10; the September 9 season opener between the Rams and Buffalo Bills; and the September 29 Dolphins-Bengals game.
FanDuel, the official odds provider of The Associated Press, has not provided similar data for 2022.
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Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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