The Lions-49ers Week 17 Monday Night Football game ended up mattering little to Detroit: the team’s playoff hopes all hinged on their results a week later against Minnesota.
But the Lions’ result that night ended up mattering plenty to at least one online sportsbook.
The Lions’ winning that game and covering the 3.5-point spread resulted in a $74 million loss for Flutter Entertainment, the company that operates FanDuel Sportsbook, according to the Financial Times. Part of that loss was due to prop bets; nine different players scored touchdowns, including Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta for the Lions.
The loss was part of a larger trend of bettors being more successful than usual in the 2024 NFL season at the expense of sportsbooks. According to the Financial Times, NFL favorites had won 71 percent of games and 77 percent of teams more heavily backed by bettors winning through the end of the year.
As a result, Flutter Entertainment released a profit warning this week, lowering its revenue guidance by $390 million due to what it called “a period of very unfavorable US sports results.”
The Lions lead the way in that group of popular teams covering the spread: they were 12-5 against the spread this year, according to Team Rankings. That’s tied with the Chargers and Broncos for the best record against the spread in the league.
- BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.
