NFL Bettor Turns $20 FanDuel Bonus into $579K Winner After ‘Insane’ Parlay Bet

Posted on: January 31, 2022, 08:25h. 

Last updated on: February 1, 2022, 10:34h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams weren’t the only big winners on Sunday. One NFL bettor turned a $20 bonus into $579,020, thanks to an incredible prop bet parlay.

Matthew Stafford Rams
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates his team’s NFC Championship win Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. One bettor celebrated a massive parlay win after the Rams game. That person bet $20 on the exact score of the NFC and AFC title games and won nearly $580,000. (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty)

An unnamed FanDuel Sportsbook user took the bonus they received and used it on a two-leg wager tied to the final scores of both conference championship games.

Odds for the exact score are some of the longest for any football game.

The exact score in the 27-24 Bengals comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs had odds of +22000, meaning a $100 bet on that being the final score would have paid out $22,000. The 20-17 outcome with the Rams edging the San Francisco 49ers had odds of +13000.

When combined, the parlay had odds of +2895000. That’s an implied probability of .03 percent or something that would likely happen three times in 10,000 tries.

Even FanDuel’s social media department, which like most sports betting operators’ social media departments loves to promote outrageous parlays, couldn’t believe this one.

There’s NO WAY. There’s just NO WAY. The most INSANE parlay you’ll ever see, guaranteed,” FanDuel tweeted after the Rams win.

https://twitter.com/FDSportsbook/status/1487984826758094849

FanDuel Director of Publicity Kevin Hennessy told Casino.org that person wasn’t the only one to cash in on such an exotic bet.

One bettor turned $2 into a $58,000 win playing the same scores, he said in a Sunday night email. Another bet $5 to get $145,000.

Parlay Profits

Sports betting operators love to promote parlays. Yes, they can lead to big paydays for bettors. However, they require bettors to pick the correct outcome on multiple opportunities in order to cash out. One loser in the whole bunch, and there goes the bet.

And for every winning parlay wager that sportsbooks promote online, scores of losing wagers end up only recorded on their bottom lines.

Parlays are profit engines for sportsbooks. According to data from the Nevada Gaming Commission, parlay cards generated a 32.1 percent hold. That rate is significantly higher than for single-event wagers. For comparison, the hold for football bets was 3.7 percent.

Super Bowl Prop Bets

The Super Bowl, which is the largest single-game betting event in US sports, is known for its prop betting opportunities. It will be darn near impossible to take home nearly $580,000 off just a $20 wager, but here’s an early overview of some of the markets for the big game.

Super Bowl MVP (selection of odds from BetMGM): Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford +110, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow +210, Rams receiver Cooper Kupp +600, Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase +1400, Rams defensive end Aaron Donald +2000, Bengals running back Joe Mixon +2500, and Bengals punter Kevin Huber +50000.

First scoring play (odds from Caesars): Rams touchdown +150, Bengals touchdown +210, Rams field goal +370, Bengals field goal +390, Bengals safety +4500, and Rams safety +4500.

First drive result (odds from FanDuel): Punt -120, offensive touchdown +290, field goal attempt +400, and other (turnover, defensive touchdown, safety, or time expires) +600.

Touchdown props (odds from DraftKings): Longest touchdown – over 42.5 yards -115, under 42.5 yards -115; shortest touchdown – over 1.5 yards +100, under 1.5 yards -130; team with the longest touchdown – Rams -155, Bengals +135, neither team scores a touchdown +2500.