Money line bets hurt sports books

Monday, Jan. 27, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.

A 50-ish woman took a look Sunday night at the long lines leading up to the Stardust's pay windows and widened her eyes at Bob Scucci, the manager of that race and sports book.

"You got hurt, I think, with all the people standing (in line) in here," she said, before turning and leaving. "I'll cash my ticket later in the week."

Scucci tried to manage a polite smile, but he said the money line on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- an outright win that paid anywhere from plus 130 to plus 160, depending on where and when a bet was made -- will likely nudge the Stardust in the red for the Super Bowl.

The Bucs beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21, in the title game Sunday in San Diego.

"I think that was the general sentiment, that the Buccaneers (bettors) might have done rather well," Scucci said. "In general, we needed the Raiders to win. We would have done better had the Raiders won outright, which would have killed a lot of that money line."

A bit farther south on The Strip, Jay Kornegay, the director of the race and sports book at Imperial Palace, received a cellular phone call from Palms director of ancillary games Marc Nelson.

"Hey, you guys got your lights on?" Kornegay said. "I just looked out and your place is dark. Is Ghost Bar now the Ghost Town Casino?"

A little laughter between some of the top players in the industry went a long way Sunday night, after a championship game that was all but a foregone conclusion at halftime. Many players in Nevada appear to have yanked the edge from the house.

The line of the game mostly drifted between 3 1/2 to 4 points, favoring the Raiders, all week, and Scucci and Kornegay said the underdog in the Super Bowl typically gets heavy play on the money line.

Although official figures will not be publicized for several weeks, Scucci expected the Stardust to show a loss when all of its Super Bowl wagers are digested.

"I'm a little surprised by how many Bucs fans who bet on the game," Scucci said. "I thought the Raiders would be a lot more attractive to West Coast fans, and I really thought fans would do more betting on the Raiders."

Scucci was amazed to discover that, of the thousands of bets his book took on the game, a difference of only 11 separated the total number of line and money-line bets that were made on both teams.

"It was the most evenly bet Super Bowl, in terms of the exact number of tickets on each team, I have ever seen," said Scucci, who also saw much fewer six-figure bets than he has seen in recent years.

Kornegay and Nelson expect their books to net profits from the game. Having kept in touch with a variety of competitors throughout the day, Nelson guessed that a state-wide record sum might have been bet on Super Bowl XXXVII.

Five years ago, a record $77 million was wagered on the Green Bay Packers-Denver Broncos game. Last year, the total figure hit $71 million. Nelson estimated that the $80-million barrier might have been exceeded by Tampa Bay-Oakland.

"I'm hopeful," he said. "It was an East Coast team with the No. 1 defense against a West Coast team with the No. 1 offense. From calling around, I know there was a lot of action. I think it was heavy all around."

As Nelson rang, Kornegay was searching an official NFL web site to confirm whether a blocked punt is an actual punt. His operation set that total over/ under number at 9 1/2, and Bucs punter Tom Tupa had one of his boots blocked by the Raiders.

The inclusion of that one boosted the total to 10, and Kornegay was set to solidify that figure after his review.

"I wanted to take my time to get that right, but some people said we were going to look (at the bets) to see what we need (and then set the number accordingly)," Kornegay said. "Absolutely not. We're just trying to get an official ruling."

According to Kornegay, the Imperial Palace will show a profit because of its heavy attention to proposition and future bets. A colleague determined that Imperial Palace offered 188 prop bets for Sunday's game.

Betting that the Raiders would get a field goal before their first punt, which is what happened, paid plus 180 at Imperial Palace. The line on the game being tied after 0-0, which happened, was minus 130.

Of the exotic variety, most of which came at a minus 115 price, the total goals in the West Ham-Manchester United soccer game in England was favored by one over Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon's passing touchdowns.

Man U won 6-0, while Gannon only threw two passes for scores.

Phil Mickelson's fourth-round score at the Phoenix Open was favored by 7 1/2 over Raiders receiver Tim Brown's receiving yards, and Mickelson (64) pummeled Brown (nine).

"I just want to compliment my staff," Kornegay said. "They put in a lot of hours on these prop bets, and those will carry our day."