Everything that happens in sports has additional context when viewed from a betting perspective. From season-changing injuries to record-setting moments and so much more, the news cycle will constantly and significantly affect the sports betting industry.
Our betting buzz file, with contributions from David Purdum, Doug Greenberg and others, aims to provide fans a look at the sports betting stories that are driving the conversation.
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Dec. 5: End of LeBron James' 10-point streak costly for some bettors, sigh of relief for others
David Purdum: LeBron James' nearly 18-year streak of scoring at least 10 points in every game ended Thursday. The end of the streak was costly for some bettors and a sigh of relief for others who had been repeatedly risking a lot to win a little on the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar to keep reaching double figures.
On Thursday at DraftKings, the odds of James scoring at least 10 points against the Toronto Raptors were -2600, meaning a bettor would need to risk $2,600 to win a net $100. DraftKings confirmed to ESPN that it took a $15,000 bet at those odds for a chance at a $576.92 net payout.
James had eight points on the Lakers' final possession in a tie game. He drove to the paint before firing a pass to Rui Hachimura, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. James finished with eight points, failing to reach double figures for the first time since Jan. 5, 2007, a streak of 1,297 games. The $15,000 bet lost.
An account on X that goes by @BryceLottos posted a screenshot of the $15,000 wager and added a message, "LeBron James scored 10+ points in 1,297 consecutive regular season games. Then I bet on him."
The user, who asked to only be referred by his first name Bryce, told ESPN it was the second time he had bet on the James prop. Others had been betting it for much longer.
Chris J., a professional bettor who asked to be referred only by his first name and last initial, had been betting on James to score 10 points game after game last season, repeatedly risking thousands of dollars to win hundreds. He told ESPN on Friday that he bet on James to score 10 points in his first game this season but stopped there, because, "LeBron was looking rough after not having a training camp/preseason." James missed the start of the season, dealing with sciatica, before returning in mid-November.
"[I] couldn't justify playing those high of odds," Chris J. said in a direct message on social media.
Online sportsbooks TheScore Bet said it offered James to score at least 10 points at -5000 odds Thursday against the Raptors. The prop was the seventh-most non-NFL player prop by amount wagered at the book Thursday. When including live wagering after the game had begun, the James 10+ point prop was the most bet player prop across all events, outside of "Thursday Night Football," and accounted for 18% of all NBA player props last night, a spokesperson for TheScore Bet reported.
Dec. 3: Patriots, Bears defy odds and attract Super Bowl handle
Doug Greenberg: Headed into Week 14 of the NFL season, the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears are the top seeds in the AFC and NFC playoff brackets, respectively ... a tremendous subversion of preseason expectations.
Going into the campaign, the Patriots showed +145 odds and the Bears had +175 to even make the playoffs. Now, New England is off DraftKings' board in that market -- the only team in the league with that distinction -- displaying the near certainty of a playoff berth, while Chicago has -310 odds to make the playoffs, which may seem longer than expected but is roughly in-line with the 76% chance that ESPN's Football Power Index predicts.
Bookmakers are notoriously conservative with their power ratings of teams, especially as the stakes get higher, and they have, fittingly, not crowned the Pats and Bears just yet.
New England is the favorite to win the AFC at +400, but that's still among the longest odds entering December in the last 15 years, according to ESPN Research; the Buffalo Bills (+425) and Denver Broncos (+450) are lurking right behind for conference title odds. Even more notably, Chicago ranks seventh in NFC title odds (+1500) despite currently holding the conference's number one seed.
Even with the continued sportsbook pessimism, bettors are backing the Patriots and Bears in droves.
In the past week, the two teams have been the most-bet to win the Super Bowl at DraftKings, attracting a combined 37% of the handle, while Chicago has taken the most wagers (16%) overall. BetMGM says the Bears have been the most-bet team for the Super Bowl since their Black Friday upset of the Philadelphia Eagles, which included a $50,000 wager at +6600 odds that would net $3.3 million if successful.
Each squad has also easily been the most-bet to win its respective conference in the last week, according to DraftKings.
On the flip side, many of the preseason Super Bowl favorites now find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. Entering Week 9, the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions were the top two championship favorites, but are now +120 and +115, respectively, to even make the playoffs.
That said, Week 14 poses several massive matchups that could have enormous implications on the postseason, including a Thursday night contest for Detroit against the Dallas Cowboys and a Sunday night showdown for Kansas City against the Houston Texans.
