Sports betting: Caesars sportsbook offers ‘different way to bet’ on the NFL with division prop

Caesars is offering an over/under prop on divisional wins.

Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.Read moreMONICA HERNDON / Staff Photographer

by Ed Barkowitz, For The Inquirer

Published July 29, 2022, 6:42 p.m. ET

An over/under prop on NFL divisional wins is being offered at Caesars for the first time. Every team plays six games against its rivals during the season, and the Eagles line is plus/minus 3.5 total wins against the Cowboys, Washington and the Giants.

Caesars odds favor them having less than 3.5 wins (-130) as opposed to more than 3.5 wins (+110). The Eagles would have to sweep at least one of those teams to cash the over.

“It’s just a different way to bet,” said Adam Pullen, Caesars assistant director or trading. “It’s another thing to think about as [bettors] analyze regular season win totals.”

The consensus line for Eagles total wins is 9.5, though Caesars was at 9.0. Odds on their over are -145, so bettors bullish on the Eagles to reach at least 10 wins should shop elsewhere for a better payout. Those pessimistic that the Birds can reach nine wins should go see the Emperor at odds of +120.

A note about the Eagles six divisional games in chronological order:

Sept. 25, at Washington: Eagles will have a short week following their Monday, Sept. 19 home opener against Minnesota.
Oct. 16, vs. Dallas: This is a Sunday nighter. Cowboys will be at the defending-champion Rams the previous week.
Nov. 14, vs. Washington: Extra long rest for the Eagles, whose previous game is Nov. 3 at Houston.
Dec. 11, at N.Y. Giants: Jalen Hurts (three picks) had his worst game of the season last year up there. This will be the Giants third of four consecutive NFC East games.
Dec. 24, at Dallas: Third consecutive road game for the Birds; who have lost their last four in Dallas.
Jan. 8: vs. N.Y. Giants: If New York really is the worst team in the division, they could be buried by Week 18. This will be the Giants third road game in four weeks to close the season.

The goal of all sportsbooks is to generate action and especially profit, so like everything else, handle this prop with care.

“People can just isolate the division games,” Pullen said. “They don’t have to look at the whole schedule. For some people, maybe it’s easier to handicap fewer games. We’re always looking to do more.”

NFC East wins and odds

Dallas 3.5 (over -130, under +110). Last season: 6-0.

Eagles 3.5 (over +110, under -130). Last season: 3-3.

Washington 2.5 (over -145, under +125). Last season: 2-4.

N.Y. Giants 2.5 (over +120, under -140). Last season: 1-5.

Money line odds explained

In money lines, the odds with minus (-) signs are favored. Those with plus (+) signs are underdog. They are based on $100 wagers, though just about any amount can be played. For the Eagles’ odds in the prop above, for every $100 wagered on over 3.5 wins, a bettor would win $110 (or $10 to win $11). To play under 3.5 wins, for every $130 wagered, $100 is won (or $13 to win $10).

The Price of sweating

The largest single baseball bet at the Borgata came in last Saturday on the Dodgers laying -1.5 runs for $500,000. L.A. led 4-0 before the Giants rallied with two outs in the ninth. David Price, who relieved Reyes Moronta with two on, gave up a pair of RBI singles. With runners on first and third, Price struck out Austin Slater looking to end the game at 4-2 and cash the ticket.

Because the bettor gambled that the Dodgers would win by more than 1.5 runs, his odds were +110 so he picked up $550,000 (but not without a major sweat).

Had he just bet the traditional money line of about -180, his $500,000 would have won $277,777. That’s the difference between a money line of +110 and -180.

This and That

Speaking of money lines, thoughts and prayers to those who had the Phillies -1.5 on Thursday night, and especially for those who pressed it in-game when it went up even higher. The Phils gave up five in the bottom of the ninth to turn an 8-2 lead into an 8-7 win, but backdoor disaster.
The Astros entered the weekend an impressive 61-36-3 to the under (62.9%). Detroit was next best at 56-40-4 (58.3%).
DraftKings’ over/under on Sixers’ wins next season is 49.5, but they’re dealing a 30-cent line (over -135, under +105). Grrrrr. The Sixers won 51 last season and 49 the year before.
Kyle Schwarber’s odds to lead the majors in home runs shot up from +375 at the All-Star break to +700, even after hitting his second in three games on Thursday. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge, who came into Friday with six homers in his last seven games, was -110 at the break. Entering Friday, he’s -600 at FanDuel. Judge entered the weekend up 39-32 on Schwarber.
Most money wagered at BetMGM to win the Heisman has been on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (24.6%), Alabama QB Bryce Young (13.1%) and USC quarterback Caleb Williams (8.6%).