Never tell me the odds … unless you’re going to tell me the chances of the Chicago Bears winnings Super Bowl LIII are getting better.
Well, as fate would have it, that’s exactly what’s happening in the wake of Saturday’s big trade:
So, per @golfodds #Bears go from 100-1 to 40-1 to win Super Bowl at Westgate. And O/U from 6.5 (over -160) to 7.5 (under -130).
Wow
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkesESPN) September 1, 2018
The Bears got better on Saturday, and our friends in Las Vegas agree.
Dramatic changes to the Bears’ Super Bowl odds at the Westgate SuperBook, one of the premier sportsbooks in the nation, is a pretty big deal. Then again, trading for the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and signing him to a whopping mega-contract is a pretty big deal, too. That one move forced Vegas to slash the Bears’ Super Bowl odds from 100-1 to 40-1. If that is what an impact player can do to change the perception of the wagering public, imagine what he can do on the field of play.
Timing is everything when it comes to the wagering world. Back when we visited Las Vegas in March, we were able to get the Bears’ Super Bowl odds at 100-1 and rolled the dice on the Bears’ playoff odds at +400. We stayed away from the team’s 6.5 win total because you’d have to bet $155 to win $100, which isn’t the kind of value we’re looking for when making a season-long wager. But now that the number has moved to 7.5, betting the over when the Bears’ projected win total was 6.5 would constitute as a steal.
Oh well. You win some, you lose some. And it’s clear that Vegas thinks the Bears are going to win more with Mack than they would have without him.